diff --git a/doc/api/deprecations.md b/doc/api/deprecations.md
index 64baf58867..5f07fa6f7a 100644
--- a/doc/api/deprecations.md
+++ b/doc/api/deprecations.md
@@ -645,6 +645,14 @@ with inappropriate names has been deprecated.
 *Note*: As the original API was undocumented and not generally useful for
 non-internal code, no replacement API is provided.
 
+<a id="DEP0074"></a>
+### DEP0074: REPLServer.bufferedCommand
+
+Type: Runtime
+
+The `REPLServer.bufferedCommand` property was deprecated in favor of
+[`REPLServer.clearBufferedCommand()`][].
+
 [`Buffer.allocUnsafeSlow(size)`]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_allocunsafeslow_size
 [`Buffer.from(array)`]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_from_array
 [`Buffer.from(buffer)`]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_from_buffer
@@ -708,3 +716,4 @@ non-internal code, no replacement API is provided.
 [alloc_unsafe_size]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_allocunsafe_size
 [from_arraybuffer]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_from_arraybuffer_byteoffset_length
 [from_string_encoding]: buffer.html#buffer_class_method_buffer_from_string_encoding
+[`REPLServer.clearBufferedCommand()`]: repl.html#repl_replserver_clearbufferedcommand
diff --git a/doc/api/repl.md b/doc/api/repl.md
index f276b965bd..7a9c1f81e5 100644
--- a/doc/api/repl.md
+++ b/doc/api/repl.md
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ const replServer = repl.start({ prompt: '> ' });
 replServer.defineCommand('sayhello', {
   help: 'Say hello',
   action(name) {
-    this.bufferedCommand = '';
+    this.clearBufferedCommand();
     console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`);
     this.displayPrompt();
   }
@@ -375,6 +375,16 @@ The `replServer.displayPrompt` method is primarily intended to be called from
 within the action function for commands registered using the
 `replServer.defineCommand()` method.
 
+### replServer.clearBufferedCommand()
+<!-- YAML
+added: REPLACEME
+-->
+
+The `replServer.clearBufferedComand()` method clears any command that has been
+buffered but not yet executed. This method is primarily intended to be
+called from within the action function for commands registered using the
+`replServer.defineCommand()` method.
+
 ## repl.start([options])
 <!-- YAML
 added: v0.1.91
diff --git a/lib/repl.js b/lib/repl.js
index 22029e6cc3..00d1172c36 100644
--- a/lib/repl.js
+++ b/lib/repl.js
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ for (var n = 0; n < GLOBAL_OBJECT_PROPERTIES.length; n++) {
   GLOBAL_OBJECT_PROPERTY_MAP[GLOBAL_OBJECT_PROPERTIES[n]] =
     GLOBAL_OBJECT_PROPERTIES[n];
 }
+const kBufferedCommandSymbol = Symbol('bufferedCommand');
 
 try {
   // hack for require.resolve("./relative") to work properly.
@@ -300,7 +301,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
     } else {
       top.outputStream.write(`Thrown: ${String(e)}\n`);
     }
-    top.bufferedCommand = '';
+    top.clearBufferedCommand();
     top.lines.level = [];
     top.displayPrompt();
   });
@@ -326,9 +327,17 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
   self.outputStream = output;
 
   self.resetContext();
-  self.bufferedCommand = '';
   self.lines.level = [];
 
+  self.clearBufferedCommand();
+  Object.defineProperty(this, 'bufferedCommand', {
+    get: util.deprecate(() => self[kBufferedCommandSymbol],
+                        'REPLServer.bufferedCommand is deprecated', 'DEP0074'),
+    set: util.deprecate((val) => self[kBufferedCommandSymbol] = val,
+                        'REPLServer.bufferedCommand is deprecated', 'DEP0074'),
+    enumerable: true
+  });
+
   // Figure out which "complete" function to use.
   self.completer = (typeof options.completer === 'function') ?
     options.completer : completer;
@@ -376,7 +385,8 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
     self.clearLine();
     self.turnOffEditorMode();
 
-    if (!(self.bufferedCommand && self.bufferedCommand.length > 0) && empty) {
+    const cmd = self[kBufferedCommandSymbol];
+    if (!(cmd && cmd.length > 0) && empty) {
       if (sawSIGINT) {
         self.close();
         sawSIGINT = false;
@@ -388,7 +398,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       sawSIGINT = false;
     }
 
-    self.bufferedCommand = '';
+    self.clearBufferedCommand();
     self.lines.level = [];
     self.displayPrompt();
   });
@@ -399,7 +409,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
     sawSIGINT = false;
 
     if (self.editorMode) {
-      self.bufferedCommand += cmd + '\n';
+      self[kBufferedCommandSymbol] += cmd + '\n';
 
       // code alignment
       const matches = self._sawKeyPress ? cmd.match(/^\s+/) : null;
@@ -427,7 +437,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
         if (self.parseREPLKeyword(keyword, rest) === true) {
           return;
         }
-        if (!self.bufferedCommand) {
+        if (!self[kBufferedCommandSymbol]) {
           self.outputStream.write('Invalid REPL keyword\n');
           finish(null);
           return;
@@ -435,7 +445,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       }
     }
 
-    const evalCmd = self.bufferedCommand + cmd + '\n';
+    const evalCmd = self[kBufferedCommandSymbol] + cmd + '\n';
 
     debug('eval %j', evalCmd);
     self.eval(evalCmd, self.context, 'repl', finish);
@@ -444,11 +454,11 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       debug('finish', e, ret);
       self.memory(cmd);
 
-      if (e && !self.bufferedCommand && cmd.trim().startsWith('npm ')) {
+      if (e && !self[kBufferedCommandSymbol] && cmd.trim().startsWith('npm ')) {
         self.outputStream.write('npm should be run outside of the ' +
                                 'node repl, in your normal shell.\n' +
                                 '(Press Control-D to exit.)\n');
-        self.bufferedCommand = '';
+        self.clearBufferedCommand();
         self.displayPrompt();
         return;
       }
@@ -460,7 +470,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
           // {
           // ...  x: 1
           // ... }
-          self.bufferedCommand += cmd + '\n';
+          self[kBufferedCommandSymbol] += cmd + '\n';
           self.displayPrompt();
           return;
         } else {
@@ -469,7 +479,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       }
 
       // Clear buffer if no SyntaxErrors
-      self.bufferedCommand = '';
+      self.clearBufferedCommand();
       sawCtrlD = false;
 
       // If we got any output - print it (if no error)
@@ -495,7 +505,7 @@ function REPLServer(prompt,
       self.outputStream.write(`${self._initialPrompt}.editor\n`);
       self.outputStream.write(
         '// Entering editor mode (^D to finish, ^C to cancel)\n');
-      self.outputStream.write(`${self.bufferedCommand}\n`);
+      self.outputStream.write(`${self[kBufferedCommandSymbol]}\n`);
       self.prompt(true);
     } else {
       self.displayPrompt(true);
@@ -569,6 +579,10 @@ exports.start = function(prompt,
   return repl;
 };
 
+REPLServer.prototype.clearBufferedCommand = function clearBufferedCommand() {
+  this[kBufferedCommandSymbol] = '';
+};
+
 REPLServer.prototype.close = function close() {
   if (this.terminal && this._flushing && !this._closingOnFlush) {
     this._closingOnFlush = true;
@@ -647,7 +661,7 @@ REPLServer.prototype.resetContext = function() {
 
 REPLServer.prototype.displayPrompt = function(preserveCursor) {
   var prompt = this._initialPrompt;
-  if (this.bufferedCommand.length) {
+  if (this[kBufferedCommandSymbol].length) {
     prompt = '...';
     const len = this.lines.level.length ? this.lines.level.length - 1 : 0;
     const levelInd = '..'.repeat(len);
@@ -742,7 +756,8 @@ REPLServer.prototype.complete = function() {
 // getter code.
 function complete(line, callback) {
   // There may be local variables to evaluate, try a nested REPL
-  if (this.bufferedCommand !== undefined && this.bufferedCommand.length) {
+  if (this[kBufferedCommandSymbol] !== undefined &&
+      this[kBufferedCommandSymbol].length) {
     // Get a new array of inputted lines
     var tmp = this.lines.slice();
     // Kill off all function declarations to push all local variables into
@@ -759,7 +774,7 @@ function complete(line, callback) {
     flat.run(tmp);                        // eval the flattened code
     // all this is only profitable if the nested REPL
     // does not have a bufferedCommand
-    if (!magic.bufferedCommand) {
+    if (!magic[kBufferedCommandSymbol]) {
       return magic.complete(line, callback);
     }
   }
@@ -1172,7 +1187,7 @@ function defineDefaultCommands(repl) {
   repl.defineCommand('break', {
     help: 'Sometimes you get stuck, this gets you out',
     action: function() {
-      this.bufferedCommand = '';
+      this.clearBufferedCommand();
       this.displayPrompt();
     }
   });
@@ -1186,7 +1201,7 @@ function defineDefaultCommands(repl) {
   repl.defineCommand('clear', {
     help: clearMessage,
     action: function() {
-      this.bufferedCommand = '';
+      this.clearBufferedCommand();
       if (!this.useGlobal) {
         this.outputStream.write('Clearing context...\n');
         this.resetContext();