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

A buffer zone in southern Lebanon would do little to eliminate that threat, Heller told AFP, "for which it doesn't seem like the Israelis have an effective countermeasure."

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 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

The city, which sits on the UN-patrolled buffer zone known as the Green Line, is sometimes called the world's last divided capital.

From BBC ● Mar. 8, 2026

“He’s got an eleven-thousand-mile buffer zone from all this sweetness and light.”

From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman