commandeer
verb
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Military forces have always had the power to commandeer houses. The Declaration of Independence complains about the way the British soldiers have done it, and the third Amendment to the Constitution states that the commandeering of people's houses shall be done only in a way prescribed by law. Almost anything—food, supplies, livestock, etc.—can be militarily commandeered when the need arises. But you don't have to be in the military for someone to "pull rank" on you: Your father may commandeer the car just when you were about to take it out for the evening, your teacher may commandeer your cell phone as you're texting in the middle of class, or your older sister may commandeer the TV remote to watch some lousy dancing competition.
Examples of commandeer in a Sentence
Robert Ross, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2025
Indian government sources told me that the third stage of the project, expected to commence around 2042, will commandeer the entire island.
—M. Rajshekhar, Time, 11 Sep. 2025
In 2021, hackers commandeered 150,000 remote cameras, including in schools, police departments, jails and health clinics.
—Srinivas Shekar, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
When the State Department commandeers the West Virginia hotel to house Axis diplomats in the wake of Pearl Harbor, June realizes that nothing will ever be the same again.
—Audiofile Magazine
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Cite this Entry
“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commandeer. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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commandeer
verb
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