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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-fey, boo-, boo-fey, 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

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

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

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

Once farmers and ranchers arrived in California, their stock of calves and pigs and crops were a bear buffet, and that got bears killed much more often than any unprovoked attacks on humans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

At the buffet for the central command post in Lege-Cap-Ferret, it takes two full-size catering trays to contain the range of artisanal cheeses crumbling or oozing onto the warm metal for the firefighters' pleasure.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The furthest-flung food mentioned in the buffet of emails I received was Lau lau, Hawaii’s pork-and-fish dish that is wrapped and steamed in taro leaves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

In the pool beautiful people bobbed toward him, at the buffet guests cleared the way so he could always be at the front of the line.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Then, they get into Bill Ackman once again trying and failing to make a closed-end fund happen, and why he’ll never be Warren Buffet.

From Slate ● May 2, 2026

"Faced with this exceptional situation, exceptional resources must be deployed to quickly restore vital services and implement a sustainable reconstruction plan for Mayotte," said the minister responsible for overseas territories, François-Noël Buffet.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2024

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

Buffet and Slagsvol had two daughters, Savannah Jane and Sarah Delaney, and a son, Cameron Marley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

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

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

He illuminated the auditorium with candles and converted the private boxes into buffets stocked with alcohol, coffee, hot chocolate, sherbet and carved meats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

In the loop outside the theater are food trucks, buffets, and more than half a dozen Vancouver-area coffee, tea, and matcha pop-ups serving unlimited boutique offerings.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

But he has now set up a new account sharing the same kinds of videos, showing "roadmen" at grubby "infinity pools" and "taxpayer-funded buffets".

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 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

Firefighters wrestled "numerous flare-ups" under control overnight, working in very difficult conditions as powerful winds buffeted the eastern region bordering Germany -- with a "mini-tornado" even striking a town outside the park.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

When play did get under way, two hours later than scheduled, only six of the early starters broke par as strong winds buffeted an already tricky course on Long Island, New York.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Coastlines are already being buffeted and inundated by rising seas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

I am determined to rebuild our country after years of being buffeted by crises.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

Before we had gone far, the wind that had buffeted us during the night died away.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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

India’s prime minister has urged locals to stop buying gold for a year, an appeal aimed at defending the country’s foreign-exchange reserves as geopolitical headwinds keep buffeting the rupee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: "We recommend taking extra care on exposed, higher routes and being especially cautious when overtaking high‑sided vehicles, as the buffeting effect can catch some people out."

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 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

He gave a sharp tug as if against some obstruction, and looked up into the buffeting dark before looping the rope around a cleat on the suspension ring.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• batter
• clobber
• jolt
• pummel