buffer zone

noun

: a neutral area separating conflicting forces
broadly : an area designed to separate

Examples of buffer zone in a Sentence

There must be a 500-foot buffer zone between the river and the new buildings.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Another buffer zone will be established in western Arizona and will be considered a part of Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, according to a U.S. official. Luis Martinez, ABC News, 26 June 2025 For example, creating an overly large buffer zone around equipment might be justified to mitigate potential damage from lunar dust. Michelle L.d. Hanlon, Space.com, 20 June 2025 Both players and umpires also have informally raised the possibility of ABS including a buffer zone that would allow certain close calls to stand even if they are overturned by the system. Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 19 May 2025 British India faced Soviet Central Asia across the Wakhan Corridor, a strip of Afghanistan only eleven miles wide at its narrowest points, which in 1893 had been designated the buffer zone between the Russian and British Empires. Dorothy Armstrong june 18, Literary Hub, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for buffer zone

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of buffer zone was in 1908

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buffer zone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffer%20zone. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.

Legal Definition

buffer zone

noun
: an area designed to separate: as
a
: an area with certain boundaries beyond which protestors may not pass
b
: an area separating land used for different purposes
a buffer zone between the development and the park
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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