Meaning & use
buffer
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Meanings
nouncountable
Something that lessens the force of a blow or keeps two people or things apart so they do not clash.
Grammar: Often followed by between or against: a buffer between rivals.
Patterns
- a buffer between something and something
- a buffer against something
Savings act as a buffer against sudden bills.
The small country served as a buffer between two powerful neighbors.
A thick hedge is a buffer against traffic noise.
nouncountablechemistry
A substance in a solution that keeps the acidity from changing much when an acid or base is added.
Grammar: Used in chemistry and biology: a buffer solution.
Patterns
- buffer solution
- buffer system
Blood contains a buffer that keeps its pH stable.
The student prepared a buffer for the experiment.
Antacid tablets act as a buffer in the stomach.
nouncountablecomputing
A temporary storage area in a computer or device that holds data while it is moved from one place to another.
Grammar: In computing: a memory buffer, a video buffer.
Patterns
- fill the buffer
- buffer size
The video player keeps a buffer of several seconds.
The program crashed when the buffer overflowed.
A larger buffer smooths out slow connections.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To protect something from harm or reduce a shock, or to pause while a device loads data.
Grammar: With an object it means cushion: buffer the blow. Without one, a video buffers.
Patterns
- buffer something against something
- a video buffers
Soft padding buffers the blow of falls.
The video kept buffering on the slow network.
The company buffered itself against price rises with long contracts.
Word forms
| plural | buffers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | buffers |
| past tense | buffered |
| past participle | buffered |
| -ing form | buffering |
Common combinations
- buffer zone
- A buffer zone separated the two armies.
- buffer stock
- The government kept a buffer stock of grain.
- buffer against
- Exercise is a buffer against stress.
- buffer solution
- Chemists use a buffer solution to hold the pH steady.
- act as a buffer
- The manager acted as a buffer between the staff and the owner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cushion
- Cushion suggests a soft layer that lessens impact, often literally, while buffer is more abstract.
- shield
- Shield suggests active protection from danger, whereas a buffer reduces or absorbs the effect.
- bumper
- Bumper is a physical bar on a vehicle that absorbs collisions, which makes it narrower than buffer.
- safeguard
- Safeguard emphasizes protection or a safety measure, not the idea of standing between two things.
Word family
- buffering noun
- the pause when a video loads, or the act of cushioning
- buffered adjective
- protected or stabilized by a buffer
- unbuffered adjective
- without protection or storage for data
Commonly confused: buffer or buffet? buffer or buff?
buffer vs buffet
To buffet means to batter, as winds buffet a ship, while a buffer cushions or separates; they sound alike but differ in meaning.
buffer vs buff
Buff means to polish or an enthusiast, and does not refer to cushioning like buffer.
Practice
The video stopped to load more data, so the screen displayed 'buffering.' What was the device filling?
Choose one answer.
In computing, a buffer is temporary storage for data on its way somewhere. The other options are different senses of buffer or buff and do not apply to a video player.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “buffer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.