crash test dummy
noun
: a life-size model of a person used in tests to see what happens to people when a car gets into an accident
Examples of crash test dummy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The new crash test dummy will help better assess how seatbelts, airbags, and other vehicle parts impact small female occupants.
—
Sarah Lapidus, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Calls for an accurate female crash test dummy date back decades.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
Fischer introduced legislation, the She Drives Act, that would require the most advanced testing devices available, including a female crash test dummy.
—CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
The crash test dummy currently used in NHTSA five-star testing is called the Hybrid III, which was developed in 1978 and modeled after a 5-foot-9, 171-pound man (the average size in the 1970s but about 29 pounds lighter than today’s average).
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 June 2025
The team initially was meant to legitimately compete against the Globetrotters but eventually became the ultimate crash test dummy for its opponents donning red, white and blue on the hardwood.
—Jason Jones, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
This test was recently updated, and now includes a child-sized crash test dummy behind the driver’s seat.
—Logan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 7 July 2024
Being a crash test dummy is the role New Yorkers insanely will be thrust into under a plan to let Big Tech test autonomous vehicles on NYC streets, Mayor Adams announced last week.
—Curtis Tate, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2024
The crash test dummy in the rear seat of the Sonata displayed submarining and the rear shoulder belt moved toward the dummy's neck.
—Andrew Beckford, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
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Sarah Lapidus, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Calls for an accurate female crash test dummy date back decades.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 21 Nov. 2025
Fischer introduced legislation, the She Drives Act, that would require the most advanced testing devices available, including a female crash test dummy.
—CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
The crash test dummy currently used in NHTSA five-star testing is called the Hybrid III, which was developed in 1978 and modeled after a 5-foot-9, 171-pound man (the average size in the 1970s but about 29 pounds lighter than today’s average).
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 23 June 2025
The team initially was meant to legitimately compete against the Globetrotters but eventually became the ultimate crash test dummy for its opponents donning red, white and blue on the hardwood.
—Jason Jones, The Athletic, 15 Feb. 2025
This test was recently updated, and now includes a child-sized crash test dummy behind the driver’s seat.
—Logan Carter / Jalopnik, Quartz, 7 July 2024
Being a crash test dummy is the role New Yorkers insanely will be thrust into under a plan to let Big Tech test autonomous vehicles on NYC streets, Mayor Adams announced last week.
—Curtis Tate, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2024
The crash test dummy in the rear seat of the Sonata displayed submarining and the rear shoulder belt moved toward the dummy's neck.
—Andrew Beckford, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Crash test dummy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crash%20test%20dummy. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
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