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

Menin took another step Thursday, introducing a bill establishing a buffer zone around houses of worship to protect congregants from protests, like around the Park East Synagogue and the one that involved Hamas supporters in Queens. —Marcia Kramer, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026

Israel’s military controls a buffer zone that covers more than half of Gaza, while the Hamas-run government retains authority over the rest. —Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026

There was a buffer zone where French soldiers were and then the north was held by rebel groups. —Jay Harris, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026

For example, recently, it was reported that the buffer zone has forced Christmas tree shoppers onto a one mile detour, according to the Daily Mail. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 6 Dec. 2025

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