cushion

[ koosh-uhn ]

noun

1. a soft bag of cloth, leather, or rubber, filled with feathers, air, foam rubber, etc., on which to sit, kneel, or lie.

   Synonyms: pad

2. anything similar in form, used to dampen shocks or to prevent excessive pressure or chafing.
3. something to absorb or counteract a shock, jar, or jolt, as a body of air or steam.

   Synonyms: shock absorber

4. something that lessens the effects of hardship, distress, or the like:

   His inheritance was a cushion against unemployment.

5. Anatomy, Zoology. any part or structure resembling a cushion.
6. the resilient raised rim encircling the top of a billiard table.
7. a pad worn under the hair by women.
8. a portion of a radio or television script that can be adjusted in length or cut out altogether in order to end the program on time.
9. Ice Hockey, Canadian. the iced surface of a rink.
10. a pillow used in lacemaking.
11. a leather pad on which gold leaf is placed preparatory to gilding.

verb (used with object)

1. to place on or support by a cushion.
2. to furnish with a cushion or cushions.
3. to cover or conceal with, or as if with, a cushion.
4. to lessen or soften the effects of:

   to cushion the blow to his pride.

5. to suppress (complaints, lamentations, etc.) by quietly ignoring.
6. to check the motion of (a piston or the like) by a cushion, as of steam.
7. to form (steam or the like) into a cushion.

cushion

/ ˈkʊʃən /

noun

1. a bag made of cloth, leather, plastic, etc, filled with feathers, air, or other yielding substance, used for sitting on, leaning against, etc
2. something resembling a cushion in function or appearance, esp one to support or pad or to absorb shock
3. the resilient felt-covered rim of a billiard table
4. another name for pillow
5. short for air cushion
6. a capital, used in Byzantine, Romanesque, and Norman architecture, in the form of a bowl with a square top

verb

1. to place on or as on a cushion
2. to provide with cushions
3. to lessen or suppress the effects of
4. to protect, esp against hardship or change
5. 1. to check the motion of (a mechanism) gently, esp by the compression of trapped fluid in a cylinder
   2. to provide with a means of absorbing shock

Derived Forms

• ˈcushiony, adjective

Other Words From

• cushion·less adjective
• cushion·like adjective
• un·cushioned adjective
• well-cushioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cushion¹

1300–50; Middle English cuisshin < Anglo-French; Middle French coussin ≪ Latin cōx ( a ) hip + -īnus -ine ¹; coxa

Word History and Origins

Origin of cushion¹

from Latin culcita mattress

Synonym Study

Cushion, pillow, bolster agree in being cases filled with a material more or less resilient, intended to be used as supports for the body or parts of it. A cushion is a soft pad used to sit, lie, or kneel on, or to lean against: cushions on a sofa; cushions on pews in a church. A pillow is a bag or case filled with feathers, down, or other soft material, usually to support the head: to sleep with a pillow under one's head. A bolster is a firm pillow, long enough to extend the width of a bed and used as head support, with or without a pillow.

Example Sentences

The Belgian built an 8-4 cushion but Littler rallied with an 11-dart leg.

From BBC

Forty-four-year old Jason Leanders, who went on the camp that immediately followed Guide’s death, said he was beaten three to four times a day by Smyth, who would put his hands into his pants to check he had not put on extra layers to cushion his buttocks.

From BBC

Among other issues, he will now have a voice shaping pending rules that set how much cash banks must keep on hand as financial cushion.

From BBC

It was then a case of Gunners dominance as they looked for a third and a two-goal cushion, and it eventually came in the 85th minute through an Henry stunner.

From BBC

From below the Marvel Stadium stage, a crew member extends his arms to cushion Martin’s fall.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• buffer
• headrest
• mat