cushion

Noun

• a soft bag filled with air or a mass of padding such as feathers or foam rubber etc.

• the layer of air that supports a hovercraft or similar vehicle

• a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
  • the old car needed a new set of shocks
    

Verb

• protect from impact
  • cushion the blow
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  shock absorber , shock , buffer , soften