plural buffers
1
: any of various devices or pieces of material for reducing shock or damage due to contact
2
: a means or device used as a cushion against the shock of fluctuations in business or financial activity
3
: something that serves as a protective barrier: such as
a
b
: a person who shields another especially from annoying routine matters
c
4
: a substance capable in solution of neutralizing both acids and bases and thereby maintaining the original acidity or basicity of the solution
also
: a solution containing such a substance
5
: a section of computer memory for temporarily storing information
especially
: one that accepts information at one rate and delivers it at another
The streaming video feed continues to download into the buffer while the computer starts playing the movie.
buffered; buffering
ˈbə-f(ə-)riŋ 
; buffers
; buffers
1
: to lessen the shock of : cushion
2
: to treat (something, such as an acid solution) with a buffer
also
: to prepare (aspirin) with an antacid
3
: to collect (data) in a buffer
plural buffers
: someone or something that buffs
especially
: a machine that cleans and polishes
a floor buffer
plural buffers
Synonyms
Examples of buffer in a Sentence
Verb
The trees help buffer the house from the hot summer sun.
The wall buffers the noise of the traffic.
Recent Examples on the Web
Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Dodgers Minus ‘buffer’ of Ippei Mizuhara, Dodgers engaging more directly with Shohei Ohtani
March 26, 2024
Will Ireton has been the Dodgers’ performance operations manager since 2020, but many fans probably know him better by the nickname Roberts mentioned.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
In the Bay of Bengal, which borders several countries in South and Southeast Asia, El Niño often leads to marine heatwaves that can bleach and kill coral reefs that nearby communities rely on for their livelihoods and that provide a buffer against tropical storms.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024
That's because the wire is encased with padding, and the cups are sewn with an additional buffer of cushioning.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 28 Feb. 2024
This buffer allows for any unforeseen delays and provides ample time to complete the check-in procedures.
—Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
The current buffer is half a mile, which gives surrounding cities little input over the project.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The developer promises a 30-foot vegetative buffer along Alcove Road and a pedestrian connection across a realigned Fairview Road.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2024
Others might prioritize building an emergency fund to provide a financial buffer for medical bills or car repairs.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Olivia Ferrari, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
Several versions of a bond measure — which would ask voters to greenlight using taxpayer money on efforts to slow climate change and buffer communities from its effects — are making their way through the legislature.
—Brooke Staggs, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024
How Insurers Can Better Support Financial Stability Insurance is one tool that can help buffer against external factors that compound income uncertainty.
—Allison Arzeno, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Your outrage, then, is admirably buffered by compassion.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Buffeted by cold and wind, yet buffered from a world that was lurching toward a pandemic.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 25 Mar. 2024
No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Notwithstanding many critiques for its corporate culture and limited driver benefits, the loyalty Uber built among its customers helped buffer the company from significant regulatory backlash.
—Kyle H. Sheetz and Robert M. Wachter, STAT, 22 Mar. 2024
But lessons learned in the 1997-2004 slump helped some weather the storm while others were buffered by investments in luxury malls and non-property assets.
—Tony Spaeth, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
Noun
The three-hundred-yard gap was a natural buffer that neither Russian nor Ukrainian forces could traverse without exposing themselves to enemy fire.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Dodgers Minus ‘buffer’ of Ippei Mizuhara, Dodgers engaging more directly with Shohei Ohtani
March 26, 2024
Will Ireton has been the Dodgers’ performance operations manager since 2020, but many fans probably know him better by the nickname Roberts mentioned.
—Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
In the Bay of Bengal, which borders several countries in South and Southeast Asia, El Niño often leads to marine heatwaves that can bleach and kill coral reefs that nearby communities rely on for their livelihoods and that provide a buffer against tropical storms.
—Justine Calma, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024
That's because the wire is encased with padding, and the cups are sewn with an additional buffer of cushioning.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 28 Feb. 2024
This buffer allows for any unforeseen delays and provides ample time to complete the check-in procedures.
—Bryce Welker, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
The current buffer is half a mile, which gives surrounding cities little input over the project.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The developer promises a 30-foot vegetative buffer along Alcove Road and a pedestrian connection across a realigned Fairview Road.
—Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 31 Mar. 2024
Others might prioritize building an emergency fund to provide a financial buffer for medical bills or car repairs.
—True Tamplin, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
Verb
Kelp also buffers waves, absorbing power from storms and protecting the shore from erosion.
—Olivia Ferrari, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024
Several versions of a bond measure — which would ask voters to greenlight using taxpayer money on efforts to slow climate change and buffer communities from its effects — are making their way through the legislature.
—Brooke Staggs, Orange County Register, 28 Jan. 2024
How Insurers Can Better Support Financial Stability Insurance is one tool that can help buffer against external factors that compound income uncertainty.
—Allison Arzeno, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Your outrage, then, is admirably buffered by compassion.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2024
Buffeted by cold and wind, yet buffered from a world that was lurching toward a pandemic.
—Peter Rubin, Longreads, 25 Mar. 2024
No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Notwithstanding many critiques for its corporate culture and limited driver benefits, the loyalty Uber built among its customers helped buffer the company from significant regulatory backlash.
—Kyle H. Sheetz and Robert M. Wachter, STAT, 22 Mar. 2024
But lessons learned in the 1997-2004 slump helped some weather the storm while others were buffered by investments in luxury malls and non-property assets.
—Tony Spaeth, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buffer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near buffer
Cite this Entry
“Buffer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buffer. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
buffer
1 of 2 noun
buff·er
ˈbəf-ər
1
: a substance or mixture of substances (as bicarbonates and some proteins in biological fluids) that in solution tends to stabilize the hydrogen-ion concentration by neutralizing within limits both acids and bases
2
buffer
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to treat (as a solution or its acidity) with a buffer
also
: to prepare (aspirin) with an antacid
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