commandeer

verb

com·​man·​deer ˌkä-mən-ˈdir 

commandeered; commandeering; commandeers

transitive verb

1

a

: to compel to perform military service

Civilians were commandeered by the army and forced to fight.

b

: to seize for military purposes

The soldiers commandeered civilian vehicles to help transport the injured.

2

: to take arbitrary or forcible possession of

The city commandeered 60 acres of the property by eminent domain for a new high school.

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.

Synonyms of commandeer

• hijack

Examples of commandeer in a Sentence

The soldiers commandeered civilian vehicles to help transport the injured.

an airliner commandeered by terrorists

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet these tiny, vulnerable creatures somehow commandeer the lives of adults many times their size and strength. — Dana Suskind, Time, 14 July 2026

The Loa River was commandeered in its entirety, source to mouth. — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026

Both the Russian and Chinese governments have been compromising routers for years, sometimes in prolonged tugs-of-war to wrest control of devices the other has already commandeered. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

As the actor who originated the role, Johnson fares a bit better as Maui, smirking and preening and repeatedly tossing Moana off her own boat in attempts to commandeer it for himself. — Alison Willmore, Vulture, 8 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Afrikaans kommandeer, from French commander to command, from Old French comander

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for commandeer

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• disappear
• engineer

Kids Definition

commandeer

verb

com·​man·​deer ˌkäm-ən-ˈdi(ə)r 

: to take possession of by force especially for military purposes