commandeer

verb

ˌkä-mən-ˈdir How to pronounce commandeer (audio)
Definition of commandeernext
1
as in to hijack
to take control of (a vehicle) by force an airliner commandeered by terrorists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of commandeer Can a government requisition the necessary oocytes or commandeer a womb to guarantee a couple’s rights? — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026 Or commandeering a military system or nuclear power plant in pursuit of its paper clip goal. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026 In the course of three weeks, Israeli soldiers destroyed much of the area, razing schools and mosques and commandeering buildings for use as military posts. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026 Curious Londoners stopped to figure out why a marching band, a blue bird and a few hundred Americans had suddenly commandeered a stretch of Oxford Street. — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeer
  1. hijack
  2. seize
  3. confiscate
  4. usurp
  5. steal
  6. convert
  7. grab
  8. occupy
Verb
  • Critics argue that the law has been hijacked by NIMBY activists without real environmental concerns.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In an indirect prompt injection, an attacker hides instructions in content an AI agent will come across while doing a task—a web page or a forum post, for instance—hoping to hijack the agent.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of hijack
Verb
  • Weafer said Russia may be seizing control of foreign companies in anticipation of a deal to secure Russian assets frozen abroad.
    — David McHugh, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Italian authorities seized the sailboats, and the activists were reported to prosecutors for allegedly disrupting a public service.
    — Asra Q. Nomani, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • Italian authorities had bolstered security forces in Milan with hundreds of military troops who conducted searches and confiscated baseball bats, fireworks and face masks from scores of protesters.
    — Jonny Hallam, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Arriving from Barcelona, the local landlord, however, confiscates Fagas’ America rifle, given to him by his father.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of confiscate
Verb
  • But having your name be usurped by a bag is a strangely dehumanizing experience.
    — Marisa Meltzer, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026
  • By the time the coffee shop building was going up at the end of the route in 1959, Fresco said, interstate freeways were already beginning to usurp Route 66’s role and the Santa Monica route of Interstate 10 had been plotted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Catcher William Contreras then threw out Simpson attempting to steal second after Simpson slid off the bag.
    — Zak Gilbert, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Tracy Letts steals the movie as a dryly observant United Artists studio head who’s eventually disarmed by Sly’s charms.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • Reactors use a different fuel recipe The Sun primarily generates energy through the proton–proton chain, a sequence that ultimately converts hydrogen into helium.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Sometimes the Explorer Lounge is converted into a movie theater - always fun watching a film on a big screen.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of convert
Verb
  • Finally, grab 32% off the Eufy E340 Security Video Doorbell with Chime, providing dual 2K cameras and color night vision.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
  • James scored 18 points, grabbed two rebounds and was a minus-22 going up against Paul Reed, and the 76ers were left to hope his presence at center was nothing more than a cameo.
    — Dan Gelston, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of grab
Verb
  • According to the researchers, formation accounts for roughly one-third of battery production costs and occupies about a quarter of a manufacturing facility’s floor space.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Gaga’s former penthouse is a corner duplex occupying the top two floors of the building.
    — Meg Walters, InStyle, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of occupy

Browse Nearby Words

commanded
commandeer
commandeered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeer. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All