airbag
Americannoun
-
a bag mounted in the interior of a motor vehicle, cushioning the seat occupant by inflating automatically in the event of collision.
-
a very large inflatable safety or cushioning device, as to protect a spacecraft during a landing.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of airbag
First recorded in 1965–70; air 1 ( def. ) + bag ( def. )
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.
See Examples For:
Deployment doesn’t just unleash the airbag; it also deploys the car’s supplemental restraint system, the entire airbag system.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
However, there may still be damage to the airbag sensors.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
It’s the genre equivalent of an airbag that deploys already half-deflated.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
The team used a specialist retrieval system to access the airbag control module – where a snapshot of electronic data, triggered by the crash, revealed speeds, accelerator position, steering wheel angle and brake pedal application.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
Dave had the airbag and made out okay.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Fortunately, the airbags didn’t deploy, and as far as we can tell, that’s the extent of the visible damage.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
Autoliv stock jumps after the maker of airbags and seatbelts backs its full-year guidance.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
The college has offered the training for decades, and its Automotive and Related Technology program has evolved with industry changes — including the advent of fuel injection, airbags and the rise of electric vehicles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026
The authors add that bringing spacecraft and space stations safely back to Earth for reuse would require better recovery systems, including technologies such as parachutes and airbags.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 3, 2025
These were technologies that had been part of a profound effort to make cars and roads safer— along with airbags and billions spent to widen and improve roads.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
