buffer state

American  

noun

1. a nation lying between potentially hostile larger nations.

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buffer state British  

noun

1. a small neutral state between two rival powers

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Etymology

Origin of buffer state

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Syria’s future would be determined by the Arabs, Iran would accept Iraq as a neutral buffer state between it and the Sunni Arab world, and an uneasy peace would prevail.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2018

The U.S. troops give Kim leverage with China, which sees North Korea as a buffer state between its border and a well-armed U.S. ally.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2018

Retreating from earlier pledges, the British did not demand an Indian buffer state around the Great Lakes, and left Tecumseh’s followers to face the Americans alone.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

That country long served as a buffer state for one purpose only — to suppress the implosion of the region.

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2014

Consequently this little peninsula has always walked on uneasy paths, which is ever the fate of a buffer state.

From Flash-lights from the Seven Seas by McConnell, Francis John