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

---

Example Sentences

General Motors GM -0.34%decrease; red down pointing triangle and federal auto regulators are probing the crash of a pickup that injured a passenger after its air bag ruptured.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I am concerned that we are headed for a high-speed collision—with Main Street retail investors left without air bags,” Crenshaw said at a conference in September.

From The Wall Street Journal

But despite hitting the truck head-on, the Corolla’s air bags never went off.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one ongoing lawsuit, DTN has said that its business is limited to inflators and that it doesn’t produce air bags.

From The Wall Street Journal

Fortunately, the team is trained in specialized search and rescue methods, and was able to use pressurized air bags to create more space between the rocks.

From Los Angeles Times