commandeer
verb
Did you know?
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
Dell Cameron, Wired News, 7 Aug. 2025
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) commandeered the chamber floor early Thursday morning to deliver a marathon speech hammering away at the GOP’s tax and spending cut bill, stalling a final vote on the sprawling package full of President Trump’s legislative priorities.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 3 July 2025
Belize is best known for its Maldives-level fringing reefs near spots such as Placencia in the south, but consider instead a trip to the capital, Belize City, where Carnival celebrations commandeer the streets in September.
—Mark Ellwood, AFAR Media, 30 June 2025
President Trump commandeered 2,000 members of California’s National Guard and placed them under federal control, bypassing the opposition of state leaders, and then sent another 2,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the greater Los Angeles area.
—Bora Erden, New York Times, 13 June 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 19 Aug. 2025.
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commandeer
verb
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