Definition

1. Noun:
   • An inflatable cushion: A soft bag, typically made of rubber or plastic, that can be filled with air to provide a padded surface for sitting or kneeling.
   • A shock-absorbing device: A mechanical component that uses a confined pocket of air to reduce or absorb the impact of motion, vibration, or shock.
   • The supporting layer of air: The pressurized layer of trapped air that lifts and supports a hovercraft or similar vehicle slightly above the ground or water surface.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Inflatable cushion):
  • We used an air cushion to make the wooden bench more comfortable for the long journey.
  • The camper packed a small, deflated air cushion to use as a pillow.
• Noun (Shock-absorbing device):
  • The machine's air cushion prevents damage by absorbing vibrations from the motor.
  • Advanced suspension systems sometimes use air cushions for a smoother ride.
• Noun (Supporting layer for a vehicle):
  • The hovercraft glides over the marsh on a powerful air cushion.
  • Creating a stable air cushion is essential for the vehicle to hover correctly.

Advanced Usage

• Technical/Engineering Context: In engineering, an "air cushion" often refers specifically to the pneumatic principle used for isolation or levitation, as in "air cushion landing systems" for aircraft or "air cushion conveyors" for moving delicate materials.

Variants and Related Words

• Air spring: A type of suspension component that uses compressed air, closely related to the shock-absorption meaning.
• Hovercraft: A vehicle that is supported and moved by an air cushion.
• Ground-effect machine: Another term for a vehicle that uses an air cushion for propulsion.

Synonyms

• Inflatable pillow/pad (for the cushion meaning).
• Pneumatic shock absorber (for the device meaning).
• Air film or air bearing (for the levitation meaning, in specific technical contexts).

Related Phrases

• Air cushion vehicle (ACV): The full technical term for a hovercraft.
• On a cushion of air: A descriptive phrase for how hovercrafts and similar technologies operate.
  • The new transport platform moves on a cushion of air, reducing friction dramatically.

Noun

1. a cushion usually made of rubber or plastic that can be inflated
2. a mechanical device using confined air to absorb the shock of motion
3. the trapped air that supports a hovercraft a short distance above the water or ground