hit the buffers

verb

To stop suddenly and unexpectedly.

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Meanings

verbhit the buffers (third-person singular simple present hits the buffers, present participle hitting the buffers, simple past and past participle hit the buffers)

present singular third person hits the buffers · participle present hitting the buffers

  1. idiomaticTo stop suddenly and unexpectedly.

    The Midlanders will hope the victory will kickstart a campaign that looked to have hit the buffers, but the sense of trepidation enveloping the Reebok Stadium heading into the new year underlines the seriousness of the predicament facing Owen Coyle's men.

    2011 December 10, Marc Higginson, “Bolton 1 - 2 Aston Villa”, in BBC Sport
Cite this entry
APA

hit the buffers. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20the%20buffers

MLA

“hit the buffers.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20the%20buffers. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hit the buffers,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hit%20the%20buffers.

Source: hit the buffers on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.