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• buffet
  buffet
• Buffet
  Buffet

  noun

  Bernard (bɛrnar). 1928–99, French painter and engraver. His works are characterized by sombre tones and thin angular forms

buffet

¹ American  

[buh-fay, boo-, boo-fay, buhf-it] / bəˈfeɪ, bʊ-, ˈbu feɪ, ˈbʌf ɪt /

noun

1. 1. 

      a variety of dishes presented in a line, from which diners in a restaurant serve themselves, usually at a fixed price regardless of how much one eats.

      The lavish all-you-can-eat buffet delivered a feast of salads, curries, pasta dishes, and sumptuous desserts for $40.

   2. a restaurant where food is presented in this way.

      They own one of the best high-end buffets in the country.

2. a meal laid out on one or more tables so that guests may serve themselves.

3. a sideboard or cabinet for holding china, table linen, etc.

4. a wide variety of things to choose from.

   The school’s internet safety workshop contains a buffet of ideas for parents in the 21st century.

5. a counter, bar, or the like, for lunch or refreshments.

6. a restaurant containing such a counter or bar.

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adjective

1. consisting of food, refreshments, etc., laid out on tables or buffets from which guests or customers serve themselves: buffet service.

   a buffet supper;

   buffet service.

buffet ² American  

[buhf-it] / ˈbʌf ɪt /

noun

1. a blow, as with the hand or fist.

2. a violent shock or concussion.

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verb (used with object)

• buffets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buffeted,
  past participle,  past
• buffeting
  present participle

1. to strike, as with the hand or fist.

   Synonyms:

   wallop, sock, hit, box, cuff, slap

2. to strike against or push repeatedly.

   The wind buffeted the house.

3. to contend against; battle.

verb (used without object)

• buffets,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buffeted,
  past participle,  past
• buffeting
  present participle

1. to struggle with blows of hand or fist.

2. to force one's way by a fight, struggle, etc.

buffet ¹ British  

noun

1. a counter where light refreshments are served

2. 1. a meal at which guests help themselves from a number of dishes and often eat standing up

   2. ( as modifier )

      a buffet lunch

3. a piece of furniture used from medieval times to the 18th century for displaying plates, etc and typically comprising one or more cupboards and some open shelves

4. dialect a kind of low stool, pouffe, or hassock

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buffet ² British  

/ ˈbʌfɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to knock against or about; batter

   the wind buffeted the boat

2. (tr) to hit, esp with the fist; cuff

3. to force (one's way), as through a crowd

4. (intr) to struggle; battle

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noun

1. a blow, esp with a fist or hand

2. aerodynamic excitation of an aircraft structure by separated flows

Buffet ³ British  

/ byfɛ /

noun

1. Bernard (bɛrnar). 1928–99, French painter and engraver. His works are characterized by sombre tones and thin angular forms

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• buffeter
  noun
• unbuffeted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• buffeting
  present
• buffeted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• buffet
  simple
• buffets
  simple
• have buffeted
  perfect
• has buffeted
  perfect
• am buffeting
  progressive
• are buffeting
  progressive
• is buffeting
  progressive
• have been buffeting
  perfect progressive
• has been buffeting
  perfect progressive

Past

• buffeted
  simple
• had buffeted
  perfect
• was buffeting
  progressive
• were buffeting
  progressive
• had been buffeting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will buffet
  simple
• will have buffeted
  perfect
• will be buffeting
  progressive
• will have been buffeting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of buffet¹

First recorded in 1710–20; from French, Old French; of obscure origin

Origin of buffet²

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, Old French buffe “a blow” + -et -et

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Explanation

When you see the word buffet, it's hard not to think "all-you-can-eat." Although the noun can refer to food set out for self-service, buffet also means "a blow, especially with the hand" or, as a verb, "to strike sharply." The two meanings of buffet come from very different sources. The self-serve meal buffet — from 18th-century French and pronounced buh-FAY — is named after a piece of furniture, bufet ("sideboard"), on which such a meal might be served. The meaning of hitting, however, comes from the Old French word bufe, "a blow" or "a puff of wind," and is pronounced BUH-fit. If the wind buffets the windows of your house, it can make them rattle in their frames, and if you are buffeted by bad news, you might shake in your shoes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buffet Buffet buffets buffeted buffeting

So we plan to cater a barbecue buffet from Palmetto Pig, one of our favorite restaurants, instead.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

A buffet of bite-size videos: TikTok is awash in vertical dramas, a new form of entertainment intended to be watched exclusively on your phone.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

The trailer alone promises a scene-chewing buffet served by a cast stacked with British TV favorites, including “Ted Lasso” alumnus Nick Mohammed.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

The restaurant at his casino, which used to operate around the clock, has laid off about 20 employees and switched to a buffet format that is open only in the morning.

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

The dining room table, where the buffet had lain all morning, was scratched and scuffed.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

Buffet lines pair high-cost shrimp with more affordable hush puppies and french fries, or meatloaf with potatoes, gravy and green beans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Once a high-flying city fund manager, Mr Woodford was variously described as the man who made middle England rich and the UK's answer to Warren Buffet.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025

He once bid $4.57 million for a dinner with Warren Buffet to try to convert him into a crypto advocate.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024

And finally, this week, Warren Buffet published a letter explaining why and how he is giving away his billions after his death.

From Slate ● Nov. 30, 2024

Approximately four hundred miles east of where Arthur Clutter then stood, two young men were sharing a booth in the Eagle Buffet, a Kansas City diner.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

"I still do buffets and things for players and long-standing fans. We have a game tonight, and I'm making the sandwiches now."

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

Labor costs are lower, with self-service buffets needing fewer servers than a traditional restaurant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Oysters are a staple of brunch menus and seafood buffets across Australia, with local varieties famed for their rich, creamy flavour.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

In March 2020, professors writing an academic paper on customer satisfaction evaluated more than a dozen buffets on the Strip.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

She weathered the buffets of history with resilience—but she weathered the buffets of heredity with something more than resilience: a grace that we, as her descendants, can only hope to emulate.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Like other airlines, TAP has been buffeted by soaring jet fuel costs from the war in the Middle East.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Software companies, whose shares were buffeted this year by concerns that new AI tools would render them obsolete, were among the best performers in the S&P 500.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

Nominated by Tonga, the former foreign trade minister joins a growing field to become secretary-general of the international organization that has been buffeted by global divisions and budget issues.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

But shareholders have pushed back against hefty pay packages, which come during a period of upheaval in Hollywood that has been buffeted by job losses from media consolidation and outsourcing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

But then Mack wings buffeted her round the head, and a scream of fury cut the indigo air, and suddenly the visions were gone, ripped away, and Dany's gasp turned to horror.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

The squarish contours offered a thousand places for whistling and buffeting to hide.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

This is probably the most resilient footballer Scotland has ever produced, a man who has endured a physical and mental buffeting without ever breaking.

From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026

It’s not unlike what the Dodgers do, with their prize-winning farm system buffeting their star-studded,championship-winning, big-league club.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

Especially in retail, the crosscurrents buffeting companies since the pandemic demand different approaches, said Adolfo Villagomez, who took the helm of 1-800-Flowers.com from its founder in May.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

Outside the sky was clear, but icy gusts of wind were buffeting our barracks every few minutes, sending fresh dust puffs up through the floorboards.

From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston

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