1 a thing or person that reduces the unpleasant effects of sth or prevents violent contact between two things, people, etc 起缓冲作用的人或物: UN forces are acting as a buffer between the two sides in the war. 联合国部队在交战双方之间起缓冲作用。

2 a flat round piece of metal with a spring behind it that is on the front or back of a train or at the end of a railway track. Buffers reduce the shock when sth hits them. （火车或铁路轨道末端的）缓冲器