French word

bouffer

Pronunciation

IPA/bufe/

Meaning

  • verbeat

Example

On va bouffer quelque chose ?

Are we going to eat something?

Illustration for bouffer (eat)

More examples

Il a bouffé tout le sandwich en deux bouchées.

He wolfed down the whole sandwich in two bites.

Core concept

A person stuffs food into the mouth quickly and without much restraint.

Common phrases

  • bouffer quelque chose

    have something to eat

  • bouffer un sandwich

    eat a sandwich

  • bouffer à la cantine

    eat in the cafeteria

Similar words

manger: To consume food.
dévorer: To devour food with great speed and greed.
se goinfrer: To gorge on food until feeling full.
grignoter: To nibble at food in small amounts.

Definition in French

Manger vite ou avec excès dans un registre familier, parfois vulgaire.

Word origin

The verb is a familiar formation with the productive ending -er from bouffe, a colloquial French word for food.

Usage tips

  • Bouffer is strongly informal and can sound coarse, so manger is safer in formal or polite contexts.

Other meanings

  • gobbleverb
  • devourverb

Opposites

  • jeûnergo without eatingverb

Related words

  • bouffegrubnoun
  • bouffeurvoracious eaternoun

Word lists with this word