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Synonyms

take the edge off

Idioms  

  1. Ease or assuage, make less severe, as in That snack took the edge off our hunger, or Her kind manner took the edge off her refusal. This term alludes to blunting the edge of a cutting instrument. Shakespeare used it figuratively in The Tempest (4:1): “To take away the edge of that day's celebration.” The precise wording of the idiom dates from the first half of the 1900s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Well, thank you for the scone. I’m sure this will take the edge off my hunger.”

From Literature

A decline in inflation expectations tends to be associated with the possibility of a weaker economy, which would theoretically take the edge off price pressures.

From MarketWatch

To come in and just, like you said, take the edge off and get to laugh a little bit.

From Los Angeles Times

“Sometimes medication is necessary to take the edge off of traumatized animals.”

From Los Angeles Times

While some Angelenos fill their stomachs to calm their nerves, proponents of the “Emotional Freedom Technique” take the edge off by executing a series of esoteric stress-relief exercises.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.