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 This data could be leveraged for surveillance or intelligence, and robots could be remotely commandeered. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 There is a seasonal meadow of two dozen native wildflowers, and a year-round spectacle of sandaster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia) commandeers much of the front yard. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Amazon’s willingness to take TNF off the hands of Fox (which subsequently opted out of the final season of its deal) worked out in everyone’s favor, but no Big Tech player has yet to commandeer a package of similar import. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026 Trump also announced no plans to try to commandeer the authority to run elections that are, under the Constitution, overseen by the states. — Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 17 July 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
  • After Sunderland had initially agreed a fee with Lyon, Crystal Palace tried to hijack the move and struck a deal with the French club.
    — Eduardo Tansley, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The moment a search tool is triggered in our chat, this layout template completely hijacks my output sequence.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of hijack
Verb
  • But the truth of it is that Sharaa forced his hand by seizing swathes of the SDF’s territory in a lightning offensive in January.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Who knows more of the injustice of the world than the girl who saw her town seized by a white-supremacist coup, the Wilmington massacre, in 1898?
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of seize
Verb
  • Additional devices were reportedly confiscated at James' home, officials said.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Lebanese soldiers deployed there are tasked with preventing armed non-state actors, like Hezbollah, from coming in; confiscating any weapons and remnants of war; and restoring state authority.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of confiscate
Verb
  • Jason Speaking of football-loving families, the Kelces seem to have usurped the Mannings for the sport’s first family.
    — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
  • For the most part, California has declined to usurp local governments’ power to decide what is built where, which has yielded relentless development of wildlands.
    — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of usurp
Verb
  • Elsewhere, stoles stole the show, particular those draped languidly over the shoulder or fashioned as cummerbunds.
    — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
  • On multiple occasions, law enforcement officers have used Flock footage to identify and ultimately arrest people accused of stealing from Ulta Beauty stores.
    — Kara McGrath, Allure, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of steal
Verb
  • But in 1816 the New Hampshire legislature passed a law aimed at converting it into a state-run university.
    — Jacob Weisberg, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Many systems still need electronic circuits to control the optical components, convert electrical signals into optical ones, and convert them back again.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of convert
Verb
  • Mishka Wilonski had just grabbed pizza from a nearby shop and was walking outside with a friend when the crash happened.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Michael grabbed him, rushed out of the house, and blew through several red lights on the way to the hospital.
    — Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of grab
Verb
  • The most reliable tactic is to occupy a choke point where doves enter a field in the morning and in the evening.
    — Bryan Hendricks, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Civilian specialists The 583rd Missile Maintenance Squadron occupies an unusual position within the Air Force’s nuclear mission.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of occupy

Browse Nearby Words

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 7 Sep. 2026.

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