buffer zone

American  

noun

1. a neutral zone or area between two potentially hostile nations, designed to prevent any overt acts of aggression.

2. any area serving to mitigate or neutralize potential conflict.

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buffer zone British  

noun

1. an area lying between two states and providing each with protection from the other

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Etymology

Origin of buffer zone

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buffer zone

Developer Mitsui Fudosan plans a "green buffer zone" of up to 78 metres with trees and a stream, reducing the noise, the heat and the "oppressive feeling", said project manager Toshitsugu Jouzuka.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

"Our seas are not an empty void or a buffer zone between global powers -- they are our estate, our livelihood, and our identity as stewards of the sea."

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

That route, called the Traffic Separation Scheme, established one 2-mile-wide lane for entering and one 2-mile-wide lane for leaving the Persian Gulf, plus a 2-mile-wide buffer zone.

From MarketWatch ● May 5, 2026

He added that the buffer zone needed to remain to "block the danger of invasion".

From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026

They were trying to create a firebreak, a buffer zone like the bald where there would be nothing for the wildfires to burn.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz