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

Israeli Airstrikes in Syria Israeli troops entered Syria last week and have seized a border buffer zone. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 16 Dec. 2024

Israeli troops have also seized a border buffer zone, sparking condemnation, with critics accusing Israel of violating the 1974 cease-fire and possibly exploiting the chaos in Syria for a land grab. —Sarah El Deeb and Bassem Mroue, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024

Israel welcomed Assad’s ouster but also used it as an opportunity to expand its buffer zone along the Golan Heights. —Paul Iddon, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Hours after rebels took the Syrian capital, however, Israel moved into a demilitarized buffer zone with Syria that had been maintained without violation since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. —Scott Neuman, NPR, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1908, in the meaning defined above

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