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
The embassy advised spring break travelers to exercise caution after dark and remain aware of the risks of violent crime, kidnapping, carjacking and robbery.
—Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The car had been taken in a carjacking earlier on May 25, before McFee’s death, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Police in San Jose released body camera footage of a deadly shootout earlier this year involving a man suspected in a lengthy crime spree that included shootings with law enforcement, along with armed robberies and carjackings.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Evidence showed that, on March 10, 2023, the New London Police Department received a report about a carjacking and notified nearby authorities about the incident, according to the DCJ.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
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Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The car had been taken in a carjacking earlier on May 25, before McFee’s death, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Police in San Jose released body camera footage of a deadly shootout earlier this year involving a man suspected in a lengthy crime spree that included shootings with law enforcement, along with armed robberies and carjackings.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Evidence showed that, on March 10, 2023, the New London Police Department received a report about a carjacking and notified nearby authorities about the incident, according to the DCJ.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
Cite this Entry
“Carjacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carjacking. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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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