carjacking

noun

car·​jack·​ing ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ 

: the theft of an automobile from its driver by force or intimidation

In the cities and suburbs, where muggings and carjackings are a daily concern, voters are wondering how many of the nation's 200 million guns are pointed at them.

—Richard Lacayo

… Congress made a show of getting tough on crime by making armed carjackings a federal crime.

—Janet Novack

carjack

ˈkär-ˌjak 

transitive verb

carjacked; carjacking; carjacks

Several weeks after the shooting, a woman my age was carjacked there.

—Susan Straight

carjacker

ˈkär-ˌja-kər 

noun

plural carjackers

If you're confronted by a carjacker, be cooperative. The big picture: It's your car versus your life.

—Amy Lumet

Examples of carjacking in a Sentence

The police are investigating another carjacking.

Recent Examples on the Web

Val’s introduction come by way of a carjacking that sees Sugar’s baby blue 1966 Chevrolet Corvette stolen and then quickly and conveniently retrieved by Val, who just so happens to be standing nearby when the theft happened. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026

The vehicle was linked to a carjacking in Sacramento, and the suspect was believed to be armed and dangerous, police said. — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026

Nafis Sami and Madison Droney, both 23 of Los Angeles, have been charged in Alameda County with robbing and attempted carjacking of a man at a San Leandro apartment complex last February. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

Executive Assistant Chief of Police Terrence Rhodes said at a news conference Thursday that officers were initially called to a carjacking in the 3500 block of Sunnyvale Street in south Dallas. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

car + (hi)jack + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carjacking

• attacking
• backpacking
• backtracking
• hijacking
• kayaking
• meatpacking
• ransacking
• repacking
• unpacking
• backing
• blacking
• clacking

Legal Definition

carjacking

noun

car·​jack·​ing ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ 

: theft by force or intimidation of an auto that has a driver or passenger present