1
: a blow especially with the hand
2
: something that strikes with telling force
buffeted; buffeting; buffets
1
: to strike sharply especially with the hand : cuff
2
: to strike repeatedly : batter
The waves buffeted the shore.
3
: to drive, force, move, or attack by or as if by repeated blows
schools being buffeted by budget cuts
: to make one's way especially under difficult conditions
plural buffets
1
furniture
: sideboard sense 1
2
a
: a counter for refreshments
went back to the buffet for a second helping
b
chiefly British
: a restaurant operated as a public convenience (as in a railway station)
c
: a meal set out on a buffet or table for ready access and informal service
a restaurant that offers a breakfast buffet
3
: an assortment of options or offerings : variety
Once you're up there among the clouds, you'll have a buffet of skiing options.—
Brad Wetzler
Brad Wetzler
: served informally especially as a buffet (see buffet entry 3 sense 2c)
a buffet meal
buffet luncheons
Examples of buffet in a Sentence
Noun (1)
delivered a powerful buffet to the side of the prisoner's head
Verb
The strong winds buffeted the ship.
fierce winds buffeted the small sailboat
Noun (2)
a buffet completed the kitchen set
Recent Examples on the Web
Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 18 May 2026
Food and drink All-day restaurant Pure serves up a sprawling breakfast buffet complete with omelette and pancake stations, heaving tropical fruit platters, and baked goods galore, including Polynesian treats like coconut bread.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
The feeling of being buffeted by forces far outside one’s control may seem familiar today, both in Cuba and in the United States—two neighbors undergoing destabilizing change.
—Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Julian Kheel, CNN Underscored, 1 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for buffet
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Noun
Instead, every new Drake project is a buffet of humiliation, mortification, and self-serving delusion.
—Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 18 May 2026
Food and drink All-day restaurant Pure serves up a sprawling breakfast buffet complete with omelette and pancake stations, heaving tropical fruit platters, and baked goods galore, including Polynesian treats like coconut bread.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 May 2026
Verb
In just a few short months, we’ve been buffeted by the effects of tariffs, immigration actions and war, as well as the workplace disruption of artificial intelligence, both real and perceived.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 23 May 2026
The feeling of being buffeted by forces far outside one’s control may seem familiar today, both in Cuba and in the United States—two neighbors undergoing destabilizing change.
—Geraldo L. Cadava, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Adjective
Customers can expect to see non-buffet-style food options, and social distancing will likely require a reduction in the number of people allowed in the usually crowded lounges.
—Julian Kheel, CNN Underscored, 1 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for buffet
Cite this Entry
“Buffet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffet. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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