buffering
noun
What buffering means
The short stops in a video or song while your device waits for more data to load.
The video keeps buffering, so I’ll watch it later.
Slow Wi-Fi causes a lot of buffering.
Test yourself
Five questions about buffering
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does buffering mean?
Buffering is when a video or song keeps pausing because your phone or computer has to wait for the next part to arrive from the internet.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
You are watching a film online, but it keeps stopping while a little circle spins and more of it loads. The film is…
When a video stops again and again to wait for more data, it is buffering. Crashing means the app closes, and uploading means sending a file to the internet.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
Our Wi-Fi is so slow that there’s too much ___ to watch anything in high quality.
Slow Wi-Fi makes videos stop and wait for data, and these stops are called buffering. Storage is space for files, which has nothing to do with slow Wi-Fi.
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Question 4 of 5Similar word
Which word is closest in meaning to buffering?
A video that is buffering is loading more data before it can play again, so loading is the closest word. Charging is about the battery.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses buffering correctly?
For an action that started in the past and is still going on, use has been buffering with for. Buffering is not something you make, and it takes no a.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Buffering in a sentence
5 more examples of buffering in everyday situations.
- At home
The show kept buffering, so we gave up and played cards instead.
- Watching sports
The stream was buffering right when the winning goal was scored.
- Traveling
On the train, the movie was buffering every few minutes.
- As a verb
Wait a moment, the video needs to buffer before it starts.
- A tip
Lower the video quality if you see a lot of buffering.
How to use buffering
A spinning circle usually means the video is buffering. It loads a little ahead so playback can continue smoothly.
Buffer is the verb and the noun: the video has to buffer.
Forms
- no pluraluncountable noun
- bufferverb
- buffershe, she, it
- bufferedpast of the verb
Patterns
- keep buffering
- be buffering
- a lot of buffering
- without buffering
Common mistakes with buffering
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NotThe video is buffering since ten minutes.
SayThe video has been buffering for ten minutes.
For an action that started earlier and is still going on, use the present perfect, has been buffering, with for and a length of time.
Buffering or loading or lag?
- buffering or loading
- Loading is the general word for a page, app or file getting ready; buffering is used for video or audio that pauses during playback while more data arrives.
- buffering or lag
- Lag is a delay between your action and what happens on screen, as in games or calls; buffering is when a video or song stops to wait for data.
Buffering is a B2 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Buffering word family and collocations
The words that go with buffering, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- keeps buffering
- stop buffering
- buffering circle
- avoid buffering
- a lot of buffering
Word family
- buffering (noun)
- buffer (verb, noun)
Similar words
- loading
Questions about buffering
Why does a video keep buffering?
Usually the internet connection is too slow or unstable for the video quality. Moving closer to the router, closing other apps or choosing a lower quality often helps.
Is buffering a noun or a verb?
It can be both. In “There is a lot of buffering” it is a noun, and in “The video is buffering” it is the -ing form of the verb buffer.
The word before
Do you still remember reimburse?
One question about the word from 22 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does reimburse mean?
When you spend your own money on something for your company or for another person, they reimburse you by giving that money back.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
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