/-bʌdʒ
I
t/ COMB
-budget
combines with adjectives such as 'low' and 'big' to form adjectives which indicate how much money is spent on something, especially the making of a film. □
They were small, low-budget films, shot on location.
□
…a big-budget adventure movie starring Mel Gibson.
budg|et|ary
/bʌ
dʒ
I
təri, [AM
] -teri/ ADJ
[ADJ
n] A
budgetary
matter or policy is concerned with the amount of money that is available to a country or organization, and how it is to be spent. [FORMAL
] □
Local authorities are reining in costs because of severe budgetary constraints.
budgie
/bʌ
dʒi/ (budgies
) N‑COUNT
A
budgie
is the same as a
budgerigar
. [INFORMAL
]
buff
/bʌ
f/ (buffs
, buffing
, buffed
)
1
COLOUR
Something that is
buff
is pale brown in colour. □
He took a largish buff envelope from his pocket.
2
N‑COUNT
You use
buff
to describe someone who knows a lot about a particular subject. For example, if you describe someone as a film
buff
, you mean that they know a lot about films. [INFORMAL
] □
Judge Lanier is a real film buff.
3
ADJ-GRADED
You can describe someone, especially a man, as
buff
if they are in good physical shape with large muscles. [INFORMAL
] □
We all want to get a buff athlete's body.
4
VERB
If you
buff
the surface of something, for example your car or your shoes, you rub it with a piece of soft material in order to make it shine. □ [V
n]
He was already buffing the car's hubs.
●
buff|ing
N‑UNCOUNT
□
Regular buffing helps prevent nails from splitting.
buf|fa|lo
/bʌ
fəloʊ/ (buffaloes
or buffalo
) N‑COUNT
A
buffalo
is a wild animal like a large cow with horns that curve upwards. Buffalo are usually found in southern and eastern Africa.
buff|er
/bʌ
fə
r
/ (buffers
, buffering
, buffered
)
1
N‑COUNT
[N
n] A
buffer
is something that prevents something else from being harmed or that prevents two things from harming each other. □ [+ against
]
Keep savings as a buffer against unexpected cash needs.
□
The Prison Service acts as a buffer between the minister and his critics.
[Also + between
]
2
VERB
If something
is buffered
, it is protected from harm. □ [be
V
-ed]
The company is buffered by long-term contracts with growers.
[Also V
n]
3
N‑COUNT
[usu pl] The
buffers
on a train or at the end of a railway line are two metal discs on springs that reduce the shock when a train hits them. [mainly BRIT
]
4
N‑COUNT
A
buffer
is an area in a computer's memory where information can be stored for a short time. [COMPUTING
]
bu
ff|er state
(
buffer states
) N‑COUNT
A
buffer state
is a peaceful country situated between two or more larger hostile countries. □
Poland before WWII acted as a buffer state between Germany and the USSR.
bu
ff|er zone
(
buffer zones
) N‑COUNT
A
buffer zone
is an area created to separate opposing forces or groups which belongs to neither of them.
buf|fet
(buffets
, buffeting
, buffeted
)
Pronounced /bʌ
fe
I
, [AM
] bʊfe
I
/ for meanings 1
to 3
, and /bʌ
f
I
t/ for meanings 4
and 5
.
1
N‑COUNT
[oft N
n] A
buffet
is a meal of cold food that is displayed on a long table at a party or public occasion. Guests usually serve themselves from the table. □
…a buffet lunch.
2
N‑COUNT
[oft n N
] A
buffet
is a café, usually in a hotel or station. □
We sat in the station buffet sipping tea.
3
N‑COUNT
[usu sing] On a train, the
buffet
or the
buffet car
is the carriage or car where meals and snacks are sold. [BRIT
]
in AM, use dining car4
VERB
If something
is buffeted
by strong winds or by stormy seas, it is repeatedly struck or blown around by them. □ [be
V
-ed]
Their plane had been severely buffeted by storms.
□ [V
n]
Storms swept the country, closing roads, buffeting ferries and killing as many as 30 people.
●
buf|fet|ing
(buffetings
) N‑COUNT
□ [+ of
]
…the buffetings of the winds.