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air bag

British  

noun

  1. a safety device in a car, consisting of a bag that inflates automatically in an accident and prevents the passengers from being thrown forwards

  2. one of a number of large inflatable bags comprising part of a spacecraft's landing system, enabling the craft to come to rest through a series of bounces

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

A quarter—12 of 49—were confirmed to be autos with open air bag recalls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

The Journal found 12 people, including Garcia, who died after crashes in Toyotas and other vehicles where the air bag was under recall, hadn’t been repaired and didn’t deploy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

The company, China-based Jilin Province Detiannuo Safety Technology, makes air-bag inflators, which contain hazardous chemicals that ignite during a crash to rapidly fill an air bag with gas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

“Older model year vehicles put their occupants at higher risk, as the age of the air bag is one of the contributing factors.”

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2024

“Everyone okay?” he asked, pushing the air bag away from his face.

From "Storm Runners" by Roland Smith