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

In the weeks since, fears of a long-term occupation of southern Lebanon have grown, with Israel moving to establish a buffer zone in the area, leveling homes and destroying bridges over the Litani River, which connects the south to the rest of Lebanon, while taking control of what crossings remain. —Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026

The proposal would need to be approved by Israel’s political leadership, which has already indicated a preference for carrying out widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure to establish a buffer zone, mimicking similar actions in Gaza. —Leila Gharagozlou, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026

Only state and local law enforcement officers could enforce the buffer zone. —Matthew Kelly april 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026

Ultimately, Luna was spared, along with other redwoods within a two-hundred-foot buffer zone. —Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for buffer zone

• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone
• collarbone
• cornerstone
• cortisone
• dictaphone

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