buffered

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a nouncomputing

   Held temporarily in a reserved area of memory so that data can be processed or played back smoothly.

   Grammar: Often describes data or output: buffered video, buffered input. It is the past participle of the verb buffer.

   Patterns

   • buffered data
   • buffered output

   Buffered video plays smoothly even when your connection briefly drops.

   The program writes buffered output to disk in large chunks.

   Because the stream is buffered, there is a short delay before the song starts.

2. 2adjectivebefore a nounchemistrytechnical

   Containing chemicals that stop the acidity of a solution from changing much when a small amount of acid or base is added.

   Grammar: Describes a solution or medium: a buffered solution. It does not usually take an object.

   Patterns

   • buffered solution
   • buffered with something

   Blood is buffered, which keeps its acidity within a narrow range.

   The experiment used a buffered solution so the pH stayed steady.

   Aspirin tablets are sometimes buffered to be gentler on the stomach.

3. 3verbtransitive

   Past tense and past participle of buffer: to reduce the impact of something or to store data temporarily.

   Grammar: Takes an object: the cushion buffered the fall. The past form is the same for simple past and perfect tenses.

   Patterns

   • buffer someone from something
   • buffer something against something

   The thick walls buffered the apartment from street noise.

   Her savings buffered the family against the sudden job loss.

   The player buffered the next ten seconds of video before starting.

Word forms

Common combinations

buffered solution

Add the sample to a buffered solution before testing it.

buffered input

The program reads buffered input one line at a time.

buffered against

The town was buffered against flooding by a wide wetland.

buffered from

The children were buffered from the worst of the news.

fully buffered

The stream was fully buffered, so it played without stopping.

Synonyms and how they differ

cushioned

Cushioned is a general word for softened impact and does not suggest the technical stability that buffered does in chemistry.

shielded

Shielded stresses protection from a harmful thing, while buffered stresses softening or absorbing its effects.

cached

Cached means stored for fast reuse later, whereas buffered means held briefly while data moves between two points.

Opposites

Word family

buffer noun

something that absorbs shock or stores data temporarily

buffer verb

to cushion or temporarily store

buffering noun

the process of loading data before playing it

unbuffered adjective

not stored or cushioned in this way

Commonly confused: buffered or buffeted?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “buffered”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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