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

According to the criminal complaint, Skluzacek was rear-ended by the vehicle Matariyeh was driving in an apparent carjacking attempt to continue fleeing police. —Dale Morin, Twin Cities, 26 Nov. 2025

Officials said the Toyota that triggered the fatal crash was stolen during a carjacking in Aurora prior to the collision, KMGH and USA Today reported. —Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 26 Nov. 2025

Teen carjackings have remained a concern in the nation’s capital, though overall numbers are falling. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 25 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

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