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
Now, one of the suspects convicted for her role in the brutal carjacking and execution-style shootings of the three men in April 2024 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
—Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
In 2003, at 19 years old, Surovtsev began serving a 13-year sentence after helping some friends commit an armed carjacking of a motorcycle in California.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
The governor has previously granted clemency only one time, in 2021, to Julius Jones, who was hours away from being executed for the murder of an insurance agent during a 1999 carjacking.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
Since the Operation Midway Blitz in September, many crimes have dropped, including a 15% drop in murders, murders, a 41% drop in robberies, and a 48% decrease in carjackings.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
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Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 21 Nov. 2025
In 2003, at 19 years old, Surovtsev began serving a 13-year sentence after helping some friends commit an armed carjacking of a motorcycle in California.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025
The governor has previously granted clemency only one time, in 2021, to Julius Jones, who was hours away from being executed for the murder of an insurance agent during a 1999 carjacking.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
Since the Operation Midway Blitz in September, many crimes have dropped, including a 15% drop in murders, murders, a 41% drop in robberies, and a 48% decrease in carjackings.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 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 24 Nov. 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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