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cushion

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kuushuhn

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkʊʃən

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support.

  2. A thin, flat pad used on hard chairs and sometimes toilet seats.

  3. commonwealth

    A throw pillow.

  4. figuratively

    A sufficient quantity of an intangible object (like points or minutes) to allow for some of those points, for example, to be lost without hurting one's chances for successfully completing an objective.

  5. A pad on which gilders cut gold leaf.

  6. A mass of steam in the end of the cylinder of a steam engine to receive the impact of the piston.

verb

  1. figurative

    To absorb or deaden the impact of.

  2. To furnish with cushions.

  3. To seat or place on, or as on a cushion.

  4. figurative

    To conceal or cover up, as under a cushion.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Moderately Common
Typical Use
Neutral / general English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support.

Used this way, cushion is a reasonably familiar word with a mildly favourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Slightly positive
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Moderate
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Positive and appreciative
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use cushion

  • “She sat on a soft cushion to feel more comfortable.”

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Soft

air cushionsoft cushion

Acting / lip

velvet cushion

Thin

seat cushionsofa cushion

Other combinations

pin cushioncushion scaleleather cushion

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • cushioningnounInflected form

    Artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • cushion calamintnounCompound term

    Aromatic herb having heads of small pink or whitish flowers.

  • cushion flowernounCompound term

    Tall straggling shrub with large globose crimson-yellow flowers.

  • inflatable cushionnounCompound term

    A cushion usually made of rubber or plastic that can be inflated.

  • air cushionnounCompound term

    The trapped air that supports a hovercraft a short distance above the water or ground.

  • seat cushionnounCompound term

    A cushion that makes a seat more comfortable.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.