rag doll

noun

1. a stuffed doll, especially of cloth.

Word History and Origins

Origin of rag doll¹

First recorded in 1850–55

Idioms and Phrases

A limp, ineffectual person, as in You won't get a decision from her; she's a rag doll when it comes to making up her mind . This expression transfers the limpness of a soft doll made from scraps of cloth to human behavior. [Mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

"We know subsequently from fellow travellers I was grabbed again and thrown through the air like a rag doll but towards the bank which was the godsend," Mr Cherry told the BBC.

From BBC

A woman whose eight-year-old grandson sustained life-changing injuries in a dog attack has described how he was “dragged like a rag doll” as she tried to save him.

From BBC

He hoped to get them to higher ground, but there was no time: The ground wave curled up under them and tossed them both through the air as if they were rag dolls.

From Literature

And when Bagpuss awoke, so did his friends: Professor Yaffle the woodpecker bookend, Gabriel the toad and Madeleine the rag doll, as well as the musical mice on their magical mouse organ.

From BBC

The victims were hit hard enough — one was tossed “rag doll” fashion, the police report says — that the cars were declared total losses by insurance.

From Seattle Times