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
That's because the city has a history of shifting on this issue, from when pursuits were restricted following bystander deaths, and then loosened in response to carjackings and reckless driving in the city.
—David Clarey, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Homicides, nonfatal shootings and carjackings have all seen significant decreases in the past year.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
The deployment comes as the city has grappled with violent crime, including persistently high rates of homicides and carjackings, in recent years.
—Hanna Park, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
In 2018, Hardy pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and carjacking — charges that stemmed from the August 2014 killing of 25-year-old Paul Chambers IV in Bay Point and an unrelated robbery — and he was sentenced to 18 years in state prison.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
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David Clarey, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Homicides, nonfatal shootings and carjackings have all seen significant decreases in the past year.
—Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
The deployment comes as the city has grappled with violent crime, including persistently high rates of homicides and carjackings, in recent years.
—Hanna Park, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
In 2018, Hardy pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and carjacking — charges that stemmed from the August 2014 killing of 25-year-old Paul Chambers IV in Bay Point and an unrelated robbery — and he was sentenced to 18 years in state prison.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
Cite this Entry
“Carjacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carjacking. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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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