buffer

¹ American  

[buhf-er] / ˈbʌf ər /

noun

1. an apparatus at the end of a railroad car, railroad track, etc., for absorbing shock during coupling, collisions, etc.

2. any device, material, or apparatus used as a shield, cushion, or bumper, especially on machinery.

3. any intermediate or intervening shield or device reducing the danger of interaction between two machines, chemicals, electronic components, etc.

4. a person or thing that shields and protects against annoyance, harm, hostile forces, etc., or that lessens the impact of a shock or reversal.

5. any reserve moneys, negotiable securities, legal procedures, etc., that protect a person, organization, or country against financial ruin.

6. buffer state.

7. Ecology. an animal population that becomes the prey of a predator that usually feeds on a different species.

8. Computers. a storage device for temporarily holding data until the computer is ready to receive or process the data, as when a receiving unit has an operating speed lower than that of the unit feeding data to it.

9. Electronics. a circuit with a single output activated by one or more of several inputs.

10. Chemistry.

    1. any substance or mixture of compounds that, added to a solution, is capable of neutralizing both acids and bases without appreciably changing the original acidity or alkalinity of the solution.

    2. Also called buffer solution.  a solution containing such a substance.

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verb (used with object)

• buffers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• buffered,
  past participle,  past
• buffering
  present participle

1. Chemistry. to treat with a buffer.

2. to cushion, shield, or protect.

3. to lessen the adverse effect of; ease.

   The drug buffered his pain.

4. Digital Technology. to temporarily save (data) before actively accessing it so that it can be loaded at a rapid or uniform rate: You’ll get a load screen while the game buffers those high-resolution graphics.

   Give the app time to buffer the audio when you are streaming music.

   You’ll get a load screen while the game buffers those high-resolution graphics.

buffer ² American  

[buhf-er] / ˈbʌf ər /

noun

1. a device for polishing or buffing, as a buff stick or buff wheel.

2. a worker who uses such a device.

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buffer ³ American  

[buhf-er] / ˈbʌf ər /

noun

British Slang.

1. a foolish or incompetent person.

2. a fellow; man.

3. a chief boatswain's mate in the British navy.

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buffer ¹ British  

/ ˈbʌfə /

noun

1. one of a pair of spring-loaded steel pads attached at both ends of railway vehicles and at the end of a railway track to reduce shock due to contact

2. a person or thing that lessens shock or protects from damaging impact, circumstances, etc

3. chem

   1. an ionic compound, usually a salt of a weak acid or base, added to a solution to resist changes in its acidity or alkalinity and thus stabilize its pH

   2. Also called: buffer solution.  a solution containing such a compound

4. computing a memory device for temporarily storing data

5. electronics an isolating circuit used to minimize the reaction between a driving and a driven circuit

6. short for buffer state

7. informal to finish or be stopped, esp unexpectedly

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verb

1. to insulate against or protect from shock; cushion

2. chem to add a buffer to (a solution)

buffer ² British  

/ ˈbʌfə /

noun

1. any device used to shine, polish, etc; buff

2. a person who uses such a device

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buffer ³ British  

/ ˈbʌfə /

noun

1. informal a stupid or bumbling man (esp in the phrase old buffer )

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buffer Scientific  

/ bŭf′ər /

1. Chemistry A substance that prevents change in the acidity of a solution when an acid or base is added to the solution or when the solution is diluted. Buffers are used to make solutions of known pH, especially for instrument calibration purposes. Natural buffers also exist in living organisms, where biochemical reactions are very sensitive to changes in pH.

2. Computer Science A device or an area of a computer that temporarily stores data that is being transferred between two machines that process data at different rates, such as a computer and a printer.

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buffer Cultural  

1. In chemistry, the components of a solution that can neutralize either an acid or a base and thus maintain a constant pH.

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Discover More

Buffers are often used in medications designed to decrease acidity in the stomach.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unbuffered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• buffering
  present
• buffered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• buffer
  simple
• buffers
  simple
• have buffered
  perfect
• has buffered
  perfect
• am buffering
  progressive
• are buffering
  progressive
• is buffering
  progressive
• have been buffering
  perfect progressive
• has been buffering
  perfect progressive

Past

• buffered
  simple
• had buffered
  perfect
• was buffering
  progressive
• were buffering
  progressive
• had been buffering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will buffer
  simple
• will have buffered
  perfect
• will be buffering
  progressive
• will have been buffering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of buffer¹

First recorded in 1825–35; buff ² + -er ¹

Origin of buffer²

First recorded in 1850–55; buff ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of buffer³

First recorded in 1745–50; origin uncertain

Explanation

A buffer is an object that either softens a blow like a fender, or helps buff or shine stuff, like a nail buffer. Buffer comes from the Old French buff, a word that imitates the sound of a blow to a soft body. A person can also be a buffer if she keeps people prone to fighting from coming in contact or hurting each other, like a teacher who separates two rowdy kids at the lunch table. A buffer state is a country between two conflicting ones that helps them better get along by creating a buffer between them — like Mongolia is for China and Russia.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buffer buffers buffered buffering

That is where the imports will help provide a buffer, says Atul Chaturvedi, non-executive director of Shree Renuka Sugars, India's largest sugar refiner and a major ethanol producer.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

One part is that it’s terrifying because there’s no buffer between me and them, so that’s actually scary, but I embrace it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Larger companies tend to have a bigger buffer that allows them to absorb more of these costs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

But this "buffer effect" cannot continue indefinitely and is expected to be followed by faster losses.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

It would be hard for him, having Julie without Bri serving as a buffer.

From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This could cover dividends for three years, but higher interest rates could further reduce buffers, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

But global supply buffers in 2026 have been worn down.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

With the coaster slated to open in the coming days or weeks, residents aren’t optimistic for change or the sudden construction of more noise buffers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Those capabilities are essential for creating buffers and memory functions in optical computers.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

If I do these things just after Jackson has passed I catch it nastily, just about the rear buffers.

From Punch or the London Charivari, October 10, 1920 by Sir Owen Seaman

Astoria launched a hedged growth fund for separately managed accounts in late 2020 that offers strategies similar to buffered ETFs.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

Champagne added that some investors are looking to replace traditional 60% stocks and 40% fixed income portfolios with ones that have 60% equities, 20% bonds and 20% in buffered ETFs.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

A buffered ETF’s manager can limit the downside risk through derivative trades, using option-premium income to enable the protection.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026

But noise, as well as glare, are typically buffered with vegetative landscaping and setbacks, or the distance between the property line and the nearest structure.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026

Inside it, she was an observer, buffered from the scrutinizing eyes of strangers.

From "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini

Still, as I shuffled papers, I became part of the buffering, incomplete chain of communication.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

It resonates more with the progress bar instead of the buffering icon.

From Slate ● Apr. 4, 2026

Without my boyfriend’s paycheck buffering our vibes-based accounting, it was time to face the scariest part of managing your money: the spending audit.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 31, 2026

Ping times to Europe and Australia often exceeded 300 to 500 milliseconds, which could lead to buffering or lag during high-bandwidth playback.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

It’s a protective mechanism for them, a way of buffering themselves against my future death, like when teenagers distance themselves from their parents in preparation for leaving home.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Related Words

• bulwark
• cushion
• intermediary