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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

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

Gaughan, 83, grew up in the city and remembers the late-night “chuck wagon” at the Flamingo, which his father once owned a stake in, a precursor of the modern Vegas buffet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

“In the buffet, you can eat whatever you can imagine.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The buffet turns a profit of $50,000 to $80,000 a month in the peak summer season, said general manager Shana Gerety.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The only party the Nielsens host is an annual open-house buffet lunch on New Year’s Day for their vendors.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

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

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

From Salon ● May 3, 2025

In 2008, US billionaire investor Warren Buffet bought a 10% stake in BYD Auto, saying that it would one day become "the largest player in a global automobile market that was inevitably going electric".

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2023

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

But explanations were in order—apologies, too—and over a bowl of chili at the Kansas City hash house that Dick liked best, the Eagle Buffet, Dick supplied them.

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

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

Caesars Entertainment Corporation, a casino and hotel company that operated four Deen-themed buffets at various locations, ends its relationship with Deen less than two hours after her “Today” interview.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2025

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

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

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

Mr. Popkin shows how the abolitionist cause was buffeted by power struggles in Continental France—sometimes advanced by the currents of ideological debate, sometimes hindered or sidelined—to emerge precariously triumphant in 1794.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

In a country where lives have long been buffeted by crises, it is a snapshot of a people just trying to get through the day while their future hangs on forces beyond their control.

From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2026

Just Robbie’s peaceful face and the leaves on their gentle night sojourn, buffeted by the summer breeze.

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

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

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

His team found the kestrels were excellent at keeping their heads still - moving less than 5mm - while hunting despite the buffeting air.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2024

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

Related Words

• batter
• clobber
• jolt
• pummel