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

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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

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 The police had established barriers for the zone earlier in the afternoon, which rioters commandeered to fight back against police. — Preston Mizell, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026 If squirrels have commandeered your bird feeder, take it down for a few days. — Melissa Epifano, The Spruce, 28 May 2026 But renewable technology, coupled with electrification, is ready for prime time and has now commandeered a starring role. — Kathleen Biggins, Sun Sentinel, 26 May 2026 During the Brooks-Baxter War, the club's quarters were commandeered by armed guards of the Joseph Brooks faction, who locked the members out and then used the facility as a military hospital. — Arkansas Online, 23 May 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
  • Kara changes her tune when Krem hijacks Kara’s ship and shoots Krypto with a poison dart.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 July 2026
  • For more on how attackers can abuse connected devices, see our report on how the FBI warned that more than 1 million Android devices were hijacked by malware.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
Definition of hijack
Verb
  • The party has focused on driving down consumer costs, seizing on what polling shows is deep dissatisfaction about the economy and worries about affordability.
    — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Councilmember Monica Rodriguez, who voted against the proposal in mid-June, voiced fears that the list of noncitizen voters would immediately be seized by federal immigration authorities.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • The agent confiscated the letter, carried by Cuban businessman Roberto Carlos Chamizo, and sent him back to Havana.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Drone operators who violate the temporary flight restrictions could face fines of up to $100,000, have their equipment confiscated, and potentially face criminal charges, the FBI said.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of confiscate
Verb
  • The update indicated that Maersk is set to fall behind CMA CGM for second-largest container shipping capacity worldwide by July 2027, while Hapag-Lloyd could be usurped by Ocean Network Express (ONE) in February 2028.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 6 July 2026
  • Beulah's spurned heir Joaquin (Juan Pablo Raba) calls up the mysterious Mariana (Raoul Max Trujillo) to help with his many problems, which include his ranch-usurping half-brother Rob-Will and those Duttons from Montana.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Police arrested more than 400 people after a melee in which businesses were smashed and goods stolen, and fireworks were dispatched in crowds.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
  • However, when her island's resources are threatened, Moana embraces her ancestors' voyaging heritage and heads out to sea to find Maui, deliver the heart of Te Fiti (which Maui stole back in the day) and save her people.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • There are nods to the environmental devastation wrought by the cattle industry that dominated Southern California in the first half of the 19th century, as well as the Faustian bargain struck by Indigenous people who converted to Catholicism.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Mark Ford Rosemary Tonks emulated French Symbolist poets before converting to Christianity and renouncing all her own works.
    — The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Definition of convert
Verb
  • Schieffelin, who played football last season because had used up his basketball eligibility, used his bulky frame to grab eight rebounds on an 11-point night.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 7 July 2026
  • Once the excitement had died down, the team gathered in a circle and a player went up to Haaland, grabbed the back of his neck and kissed his cheek.
    — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 6 July 2026
Definition of grab
Verb
  • There is a wide open space for Democrats to occupy that territory.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Beneath those practical debates, however, American lawyers have gradually come to understand themselves as occupying two roles simultaneously, as Robert Gordon described.
    — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of occupy

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commanded
commandeer
commandeered
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Cite this Entry

“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeer. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on commandeer

Nglish: Translation of commandeer for Spanish Speakers

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