buffet car

American

noun

Railroads.

a car having facilities for preparing and serving light meals.

buffet car British

/ ˈbʊfeɪ /

noun

a railway coach where light refreshments are served

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of buffet car

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

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.

As people ran to the buffet car he said he wanted to make sure passengers were safe.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

"Not once in the 11-hour journey did we have any official announcement... we just had a rumour mill from drivers to the buffet car."

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2025

But what emerged - after more than 600 miles and a lot of buffet car coffee and sandwiches - was something you would never get from a stage-managed campaign event.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2015

Its American corporate exploitation of British heritage infrastructure deeply offends me – they're flogging an overpriced George Stephenson-themed microwavable burrito in our nation's buffet car.

From The Guardian • Oct. 6, 2012

Imagine my feelings on learning that there was no dining or buffet car!

From Julia Ward Howe 1819-1910 by Elliott, Maud Howe

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023