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

Just one day after Hamas’s terror attack, Hezbollah began a spate of strikes on northern Israel that forced at least 60,000 Israelis from their homes, effectively creating a five-kilometer buffer zone inside Israel. —Mona Yacoubian, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2024

Activists magnified the settlements’ role as a buffer zone between the Palestinian population living under occupation and the main Israeli population centers. —Arie Perliger, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2024

Offensive troop formations, such as supply depots and command posts, must be positioned well beyond this buffer zone. —Vikram Mittal, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

Just beyond them where there’s open grassland, there should also be a fuel break – a buffer zone cleared of vegetation. —Lauren Sommer, NPR, 17 Sep. 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