Cushion: Something Soft to Sit On, and a Margin to Fall Back On
A cushion is a soft pad for sitting or leaning on. As a verb it means to soften an impact, and figuratively a cushion is any reserve that absorbs a shock.
A cushion absorbs. That is why the figurative sense works so naturally: a financial cushion does exactly what a seat cushion does, taking the force out of a hard landing.
- A soft pad. *A cushion on the window seat.*
- A protective reserve. *A cushion of savings.*
- To soften an impact (verb). *The grant cushioned the cuts.*
- The padded rail of a billiard table. *Off the cushion.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cushion | A velvet cushion. |
| Verb | cushion | Cushion the blow. |
| Adjective | cushioned | Cushioned soles. |
| Adjective | cushy | A cushy job. |
| US equivalent | throw pillow | Throw pillows on the sofa. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The reserves cushioned the company through the downturn.Absorbed the impact.
- Two goals gave them a cushion.A margin that can absorb a mistake.
- He has a cushy number at head office.Cushy means easy — from Hindi khush, pleasant, not from cushion.
Cushion, pillow, bolster and pad
- Cushion — for sitting or leaning, usually on furniture
- Pillow — for the head, in bed
- Bolster — long and firm, running the width of a bed or sofa
- Pad — flat and protective, often functional rather than decorative
- American English blurs cushion and pillow more than British English does
From Old French *coissin*, from Latin *coxinum*, probably from *coxa*, hip — a cushion was the thing your hip rested on. The adjective *cushy* is unrelated, coming from Anglo-Indian usage.
Cushion or pillow?
In British English cushions belong on chairs and sofas, pillows on beds. American English calls decorative sofa cushions throw pillows.
Is cushy from cushion?
No. It comes from Hindi khush, meaning pleasant, and reached English through the British army in India.