Word.ws English Dictionary

taking the edge off

taking the edge off is the present participle and gerund of take the edge off.

Meaning of take the edge off

Verb

take the edge off (third-person singular simple present takes the edge off, present participle taking the edge off, simple past took the edge off, past participle taken the edge off)

  1. To diminish the effects of (something unpleasant or severe); to dull.
    • Allen Gregory DeLongpre: You know what? Let's forget all the mishegoss and try to enjoy our lunch, huh? Take the edge off.2011 Allen Gregory, "Pilot" (season 1, episode 1)
  2. To relax or unwind (by consuming alcohol or other psychoactive substances).

Questions about taking the edge off

What is taking the edge off the present participle and gerund of?
Taking the edge off is the present participle and gerund of take the edge off.

Words near taking the edge off in the dictionary

  1. taking the Chiltern Hundreds
  2. taking the count
  3. taking the coward's way out
  4. taking the cure
  5. taking the easy way out
  6. taking the edge off
  7. taking the fall
  8. taking the fifth
  9. taking the front seat
  10. taking the game to
  11. taking the gap

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: taking the edge off (page history and authors); take the edge off (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “taking the edge off.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/taking_the_edge_off. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.