1
as in to hijack
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
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2
as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
commandeered all of the equipment, as if the chem lab belonged solely to him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commandeer
The city is continuing to apply for environmental and other permits and drawing up plans for sanitation and maintenance as pelicans commandeer the pier in the absence of humans, Reyes said.
—
Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
Veteran apartment gropers know enough to commandeer every working telephone booth in the area using friends who listen to dial tones and weather reports for an hour before the newspapers arrive.
—Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025
Continue reading … HIGHWAY HAVOC – Armed fugitives commandeer big rig in wild LA chase before vanishing into night.
—FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
While severely injured, Perechinsky was able to commandeer a tractor trailer driving down the road and position the semi-rig across the roadway so people wouldn’t be hit by potential gunfire, according to the colonel.
—Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Steven Mihailovich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Aug. 2025
Veteran apartment gropers know enough to commandeer every working telephone booth in the area using friends who listen to dial tones and weather reports for an hour before the newspapers arrive.
—Nicholas Pileggi, Curbed, 15 Aug. 2025
Continue reading … HIGHWAY HAVOC – Armed fugitives commandeer big rig in wild LA chase before vanishing into night.
—FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2025
While severely injured, Perechinsky was able to commandeer a tractor trailer driving down the road and position the semi-rig across the roadway so people wouldn’t be hit by potential gunfire, according to the colonel.
—Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeer
Verb
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Help teams understand how devices hijack attention and become addictive coping mechanisms.—
Elan Gepner-Dales,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
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Within a few days, pain had hijacked my mom’s entire identity.—
Dr. Sanjay Gupta,
CNN Money,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Then pick the moment to go on the offensive, to pounce, to seize the game.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2025
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After the revolution, Parubiy served as the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council in 2014, during which time Russian forces seized Crimea and sparked conflict in the eastern Donbas region.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, 12-inch centipedes were also confiscated and the green mamba, which had been sick, died after the raid.—
TJ Macias,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
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The boats were seized, the catch was confiscated by the government.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Besides, usurping Jinkx Monsoon for Miss Piggy would fan the ferocious flames of backstage drama and turmoil (hmmm … Smash season-three idea).—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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Resources are available for businesses looking to usurp restrictions.—
Jon McGowan,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Louisville feels the time is now to approach the NCAA about 2013 in light of the Michigan sign stealing outcome and seismic changes in college sports.—
Ray Padilla,
The Courier-Journal,
29 Aug. 2025
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Billionaires are stealing from working families, destroying our democracy, and building private armies to attack our towns and cities.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Initially powered by a water counterbalance system, it was soon converted to steam in 1886 and later electrified by 1915.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
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More than 1,000 employees circumnavigate the bustling fifth floor Tempus office around an atrium that Lefkofsky said was a spiral parking ramp before the building — a National Historic Landmark that once housed the country’s oldest mail-order firm — was converted to tech space 25 years ago.—
Robert Channick,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Money is being funneled into headline-grabbing initiatives, such as customer-facing chatbots and generative content tools.—
Mark Minevich,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
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Huda and Amaya appeared to remain on good terms, as Huda grabbed her hand at one point.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The building had been occupied the last 41 years by Los Vaqueros, which started in a smaller location nearby.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Sep. 2025
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As the region’s megadrought continues, roaming mammals, like black bears and mountain lions, may start to occupy larger ranges, widening their territory in the search for water and other resources.—
John Leos,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeer. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
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