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

The Powers twins, 50, spoke with 7News Queensland about how their mother was caught in an armed carjacking in Queensland, Australia, on Monday, April 21. —Charna Flam, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025

Just 22 minutes after the armed carjacking, Hardy arrived at the Florida Avenue Garage in downtown Washington. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Two minors were taken into custody in West Palm Beach late Monday night after an armed carjacking of a rideshare driver, police said. —Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025

The firearms offenses each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the maximum sentence for armed carjacking is 30 years. —Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 18 Mar. 2025

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