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• buffet
  buffet

  noun
• 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

A banner reading “Happy Birthday Bill!” hung over a potluck buffet of plastic trays and slow cookers, with the aforementioned Bill and his family and friends all clearly enjoying retirement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

She describes a “popular annual cocktail buffet at the Hay Adams Hotel on the rooftop overlooking the White House” on the night of Trump’s UFC cage fight on the White House lawn.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

Investors have a veritable lunch buffet of S&P 500 earnings figures to choose from—past or forward-looking, official or nonstandard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The pair went to a buffet restaurant where diners were charged according to the number of food sticks they accumulated throughout the meal.

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

Canopies and buffet tables dotted the massive compound, which was green and landscaped, with the promise of a swimming pool in the back.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

On its website, African Parks lists a number of high-profile donors including the European Union, Rob Walton, heir to the Walmart fortune, and Howard Buffett, son of Warren Buffet.

From BBC ● May 8, 2025

“It’s a big mistake,” said Buffet, 94, speaking to tens of thousands gathered in Omaha.

From Salon ● May 3, 2025

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

Buffet was recently feted at the Hollywood Bowl with a medley of performances featuring the Eagles, Paul McCartney and many others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 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

Las Vegas once offered cheap hotel rooms and buffets as loss leaders to lure gamblers into casinos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 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

Footage seen by the BBC shows what appears to be undercooked food, buffets surrounded by flies and mould in rooms.

From BBC ● Apr. 7, 2026

“We spent a few holidays together, staying out at his ranch having buffets by the creek, and him and Jacquie coming to my house to discuss projects were always a treat,” Allen wrote on Facebook.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2025

Then again, I think of the after-church lunches I used to go to with their big buffets, all-you-can-eat style.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

The group's performance reflects the roller coaster ride by cocoa prices over the past five years when it has been buffeted by wars, poor harvests and economic worries in key markets.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

The blustery conditions were not as extreme as Thursday's when 40mph gusts of wind buffeted the Long Island course in New York state.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

Coastlines are already being buffeted and inundated by rising seas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

Mibe wants to insulate Honda from being buffeted by changing policies in the U.S., while increasing spending on gasoline vehicles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

It was swinging wildly as strong winds buffeted the gas bag, and the witches pulling the rope were barely managing to hold it.

From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman

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

The luxury sector is currently going through a challenging period for sales globally that is impacting many companies, but Hermes has been well-protected from the buffeting.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025

Globalization was buffeting the region with other big changes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2025

"We were troubled by sharks buffeting the raft and whales blowing close and showering us with water," he added.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2025

I drove into a wind quartering in from my starboard bow and felt the buffeting, sometimes staggering blows of the gale I helped to make.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• batter
• clobber
• jolt
• pummel