cushion

Compared meaning: to soften or protect against a shock (verb).

比较义项：缓冲、减轻（冲击或不良影响）（动词）。

• cushion 本词

  Means to soften a sudden negative impact, almost always paired with 'the blow' or 'the effect'; suggests making a shock less painful at the moment it happens.

  指减轻某种突然的负面冲击，几乎总是与“the blow”或“the effect”搭配；强调在冲击发生的那一刻让它不那么难受。

  The extra savings cushioned the blow of losing his main client.

  那笔额外的存款缓冲了他失去主要客户所带来的打击。

• buffer

  Means to protect something from ongoing or external harm, typically used with 'against' and describing a lasting protective margin rather than a single shock.

  指保护某事物免受持续性或外部伤害，通常与“against”连用，描述的是一种持久的保护性缓冲，而不是单次的冲击。

  The company kept a cash reserve to buffer itself against economic downturns.

  这家公司保留了一笔现金储备，以缓冲自身免受经济下行的影响。

Both words mean to lessen a negative impact, but the use differs. Cushion means to soften a sudden shock, almost always paired with 'the blow'. Buffer means to protect something from ongoing harm, usually with 'against', describing lasting protection. Their noun meanings are not compared.

cushion 和 buffer 在“减轻冲击或不良影响”这个意义上很接近，但 cushion 强调像垫子一样柔化打击，常与“the blow”搭配，多用于经济或情感上的打击；buffer 强调充当一层保护性缓冲，抵御持续或外来的冲击，常与介词“against”连用。这里不比较 cushion 作为“靠垫、坐垫”的名词义，也不比较 buffer 作为“缓冲区、缓冲装置”的名词义。