cushion/soften the blow
idiom
: to make one's disappointment less painful
She was disappointed not to get the job, but the promise of another job cushioned/softened the blow.
Examples of cushion/soften the blow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mexican officials are considering lowering the transportation tax to help soften the blow.
—
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
Education expenses Education is expensive, but the government offers several ways to soften the blow.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Living in Michigan is less expensive, which helps soften the blow of lower incomes.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Series executive producer and director Alan Poul, who helmed the first two episodes, suggests the handling of the pair will probably soften the blow for viewers.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
But in Tunisia, another protectorate, local administrators tried to soften the blow.
—Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
Green said there are steps districts can take to soften the blow of school closures.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2024
That agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, or FRA, included an additional $69 billion in side agreements that were not written into the legislation to soften the blow of the spending caps.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
Regulators are not being shy about forcing banks to stock up on capital to cushion the blow from loan losses — instead of paying out dividends.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2024
Education expenses Education is expensive, but the government offers several ways to soften the blow.
—USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024
Living in Michigan is less expensive, which helps soften the blow of lower incomes.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
Series executive producer and director Alan Poul, who helmed the first two episodes, suggests the handling of the pair will probably soften the blow for viewers.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
But in Tunisia, another protectorate, local administrators tried to soften the blow.
—Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024
Green said there are steps districts can take to soften the blow of school closures.
—Silas Allen, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2024
That agreement, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, or FRA, included an additional $69 billion in side agreements that were not written into the legislation to soften the blow of the spending caps.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2023
Regulators are not being shy about forcing banks to stock up on capital to cushion the blow from loan losses — instead of paying out dividends.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cushion/soften the blow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cushion/soften the blow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cushion%2Fsoften%20the%20blow. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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