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
Richard Lacayo… Congress made a show of getting tough on crime by making armed carjackings a federal crime.—Janet Novack
Janet Novack
carjack
transitive verb
carjacked; carjacking; carjacks
Several weeks after the shooting, a woman my age was carjacked there.
—Susan Straight
Susan Straight
carjacker
noun
plural carjackers
If you're confronted by a carjacker, be cooperative. The big picture: It's your car versus your life.
—Amy Lumet
Amy Lumet
Examples of carjacking in a Sentence
The police are investigating another carjacking.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ronald Fluker was prosecuted as part of a large-scale 2019 case involving 16 shootings, three homicides, and a string of home invasion robberies and carjackings, including the nonfatal shooting of an Orinda school board member.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Evidence showed that, on March 10, 2023, the New London Police Department received a report about a carjacking and notified nearby authorities about the incident, according to the DCJ.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
Three days after the death of Garcia, Villegas was arrested in Pecos, Texas, on suspicion of armed robbery and carjacking.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Snyder was charged Wednesday with Grillmair’s murder, along with burglary and carjacking.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
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Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2026
Evidence showed that, on March 10, 2023, the New London Police Department received a report about a carjacking and notified nearby authorities about the incident, according to the DCJ.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
Three days after the death of Garcia, Villegas was arrested in Pecos, Texas, on suspicion of armed robbery and carjacking.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Snyder was charged Wednesday with Grillmair’s murder, along with burglary and carjacking.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
Cite this Entry
“Carjacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carjacking. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
carjacking
noun
car·jack·ing
ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ
: theft by force or intimidation of an auto that has a driver or passenger present
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