Meaning & use
finger buffet
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A meal where small pieces of food are eaten with the fingers, usually at a party or reception.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a finger buffet' or 'finger buffets' for more than one.
Patterns
- a finger buffet for someone
- at a finger buffet
They served a finger buffet after the wedding ceremony.
The hotel offers a finger buffet for business meetings.
We're having a finger buffet instead of a sit-down dinner.
Word forms
| plural | finger buffets |
|---|
Common combinations
- serve a finger buffet
- The caterers will serve a finger buffet at noon.
- a finger buffet lunch
- A finger buffet lunch is included in the ticket price.
- cold finger buffet
- The cold finger buffet included sandwiches and fruit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- buffet
- A general meal where guests serve themselves; it may involve plates and forks, while a finger buffet is specifically eaten with the fingers.
- finger food
- Refers to the small items themselves, not the whole meal or event.
Commonly confused: finger buffet or buffet?
finger buffet vs buffet
A buffet can be any self-service meal, but a finger buffet is a particular type where no cutlery is needed.
Practice
At the reception, guests helped themselves to a ______ of sandwiches and small cakes.
Choose one answer.
'Finger buffet' is the only option that means a meal of small items eaten with the fingers. 'Fingerprint' is a mark left by a finger, not food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “finger buffet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.