buffet
noun
buffet
1 American
[buh-fey, boo-, boo-fey, buhf-it]
/ bəˈfeɪ, bʊ-, ˈbu feɪ, ˈbʌf ɪt /
noun
-
-
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.
-
a restaurant where food is presented in this way.
They own one of the best high-end buffets in the country.
-
-
a meal laid out on one or more tables so that guests may serve themselves.
-
a sideboard or cabinet for holding china, table linen, etc.
-
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.
-
a counter, bar, or the like, for lunch or refreshments.
-
a restaurant containing such a counter or bar.
adjective
buffet
2
American
[buhf-it]
/ ˈbʌf ɪt /
noun
-
a blow, as with the hand or fist.
-
a violent shock or concussion.
verb (used with object)
buffets,
present (3rd person singular)
buffeted,
past participle, past
buffeting
present participle
verb (used without object)
buffets,
present (3rd person singular)
buffeted,
past participle, past
buffeting
present participle
-
to struggle with blows of hand or fist.
-
to force one's way by a fight, struggle, etc.
buffet
1
British
noun
-
a counter where light refreshments are served
-
-
a meal at which guests help themselves from a number of dishes and often eat standing up
-
( as modifier )
a buffet lunch
-
-
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
-
dialect a kind of low stool, pouffe, or hassock
buffet
2
British
/ ˈbʌfɪt /
verb
-
(tr) to knock against or about; batter
the wind buffeted the boat
-
(tr) to hit, esp with the fist; cuff
-
to force (one's way), as through a crowd
-
(intr) to struggle; battle
noun
-
a blow, esp with a fist or hand
-
aerodynamic excitation of an aircraft structure by separated flows
Buffet
3
British
/ byfɛ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
buffetsimple
-
buffetssimple
-
have buffetedperfect
-
has buffetedperfect
-
am buffetingprogressive
-
are buffetingprogressive
-
is buffetingprogressive
-
have been buffetingperfect progressive
-
has been buffetingperfect progressive
Past
-
buffetedsimple
-
had buffetedperfect
-
was buffetingprogressive
-
were buffetingprogressive
-
had been buffetingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing buffet
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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The Melting Pot: Food Words from Other Languages
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Grade 11, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At least with the buffet, they could eat what they wanted—and be guaranteed to be very full.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
There’s a counter with sandwiches, pastries, salads and more, but no buffet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
On a Tuesday night in May, prospective diners were told it would be about an hour’s wait to eat at the Wynn buffet, which starts at $80 per person for dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
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
It had been decorated for the Last Hoorah with balloons and confetti, and a local restaurant was even catering a big buffet.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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
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
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
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
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
Coastlines are already being buffeted and inundated by rising seas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Marooned on the backbenches, Rayner could only watch on as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was buffeted by a leadership crisis - and governed without her.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
Analysts expect the measures to deliver near-term relief to the beleaguered rupiah, which has been buffeted by the market turmoil spurred by the Middle East conflict, and persistent concerns about Indonesia’s fiscal position and investability.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
We were buffeted by a fresh gust of wind.
From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate
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
But the challenges buffeting America these days go beyond the author’s charged and sometimes blinkered framework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025
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
Taking into account loose slates, buffeting wind and the occasional slide backwards, Matthias reckoned he had done pretty well as he gained the roof ridge.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.