What does buffeting mean?
Buffeting denotes the action or effect of being struck repeatedly and forcefully, most often by natural forces such as gale-force winds or crashing waves. A cliff face may show the marks of centuries of buffeting by the sea; a tent may collapse under the buffeting of a mountain storm. By extension, the word carries a well-established figurative sense: people, companies, and even whole economies are described as enduring buffeting when they suffer a relentless series of blows — recessions, scandals, or misfortunes arriving one after another. The word derives from the verb 'buffet', which entered English from Old French and originally meant to strike with the hand. Today it belongs chiefly to literary and journalistic prose, lending drama and rhythm to descriptions of both physical violence and metaphorical hardship. Its connotations are almost always adverse, evoking endurance, exposure, and survival under sustained pressure.
Repeated, forceful striking, especially of wind or waves against something; figuratively, a succession of hardships or setbacks.
"The old fishing boat showed every sign of decades of buffeting by open Atlantic swells."
Most often found in literary, nautical, meteorological, or journalistic contexts.
Present participle of 'buffet': to strike repeatedly and forcefully, or (of difficulties) to beset continually.
"Gales were buffeting the coastline all night, tearing tiles from roofs and felling trees."
The same French word that gave us the all-you-can-eat 'buffet' also gave English the verb 'to buffet' — so the food table and the storm-battered ship are, etymologically speaking, distant cousins.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of buffeting
Buffeting comes from the verb 'buffet', adopted into Middle English from Old French 'buffeter' (from 'buffet', meaning a blow with the fist). In French, 'buffet' originally denoted a bench or stool that could serve as an object to strike or as furniture for serving food, which is how the same word later came to name the modern meal buffet. English writers have used 'buffet' in the sense of striking since at least the late medieval period, with 'buffeting' developing as its verbal noun to describe continuous battering, first literally and later figuratively.
Related word forms
How buffeting is actually used
Largely literary or journalistic in register; rare in casual conversation. The literal sense typically appears with wind, waves, or storms as the agent, while the figurative sense pairs naturally with institutions, economies, or individuals weathering repeated crises. British spelling favours 'buffeted/buffeting' identically to American usage, though the synonym 'pummelling' reflects British doubling.
Easily confused with buffeting
'Buffet' can mean either a meal laid out on a sideboard or (as a verb/noun) a blow or repeated striking, while 'buffeting' refers specifically to the ongoing action or effect of such blows.