buffer

1. 1.

   add a buffer (a solution)

   “buffered saline solution for the eyes”

   Broadermodify
2. 2.

   protect from impact

   “cushion the blow”

   Synonymscushionsoften

   Broadermodify

Other forms of buffer

plural

buffers·

past tense

bufferred·

present participle

bufferring·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about buffer

What does buffer mean?

buffer means "(chemistry) an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH". That is the primary sense; the word has 9 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in buffer?

buffer has 2 syllables: buf-fer. The stress falls on "buf". In IPA it is /ˈbʌfɚ/.

What is another word for buffer?

Close synonyms include buffer zone, fender, cowcatcher, pilot, buffer storage. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is buffer a common word?

buffer is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.