1
as in hijacked
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in seized
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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Recent Examples of commandeered
Based on a viral short film, the movie features Martin Freeman and Susie Porter as a couple who have commandeered a houseboat to evade hordes of rapacious undead.
—
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
After being commandeered into a hospital during World War I, the hotel was purchased in 1957 by Jeanne Augier, who restored the property’s former glory—and then some.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026
The mass grave by the University of Sudan, which was near a building the RSF commandeered as a detention center, likely contains thousands of corpses, al-Abidin said.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
As Afeef shared from Ras Beirut’s Public Secondary School, many of the displaced are sleeping in school buildings, which have been commandeered as emergency shelters for hundreds of people.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
In a hilarious video of the interaction, the former Memphis Grizzlies star — who had 25 points and three blocks in the game — stood stock still as Mandel commandeered the interview.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Police say that when the friend refused, Rosas punched him in the face, knocking out his tooth, and commandeered the car.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Sonoma State commandeered the spotlight, announcing the discontinuation of its sports department due to a hefty $24 million budget deficit.
—Ryan Curry, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Mar. 2026
The singer/songwriter/producer who has commandeered the charts for decades with more than 30 Top 40 pop and adult contemporary hits can easily zigzag topics, whether music past and current, shaking a martini, or applying moisturizer.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 1 May 2026
After being commandeered into a hospital during World War I, the hotel was purchased in 1957 by Jeanne Augier, who restored the property’s former glory—and then some.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Apr. 2026
The mass grave by the University of Sudan, which was near a building the RSF commandeered as a detention center, likely contains thousands of corpses, al-Abidin said.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026
As Afeef shared from Ras Beirut’s Public Secondary School, many of the displaced are sleeping in school buildings, which have been commandeered as emergency shelters for hundreds of people.
—Literary Hub, 10 Apr. 2026
In a hilarious video of the interaction, the former Memphis Grizzlies star — who had 25 points and three blocks in the game — stood stock still as Mandel commandeered the interview.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 8 Apr. 2026
Police say that when the friend refused, Rosas punched him in the face, knocking out his tooth, and commandeered the car.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Sonoma State commandeered the spotlight, announcing the discontinuation of its sports department due to a hefty $24 million budget deficit.
—Ryan Curry, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Mar. 2026
The singer/songwriter/producer who has commandeered the charts for decades with more than 30 Top 40 pop and adult contemporary hits can easily zigzag topics, whether music past and current, shaking a martini, or applying moisturizer.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeered
Verb
-
Drivers in New York pay a $9 fee to drive into Manhattan to get mugged, have their cars hijacked, or both.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
4 May 2026
-
In 1985, the luggage, Roussos, and some 150 others on TWA’s Flight 847 from Athens to Rome were hijacked by terrorists, leading to a 17-day crisis and lending the bags’ auction all these years later a certain frisson, at least in the Greek press.—
George Kalogerakis,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Edward Burke — then seized control of City Council and approved a new lineup of committee chairs and leaders.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
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Police stormed the gallery and seized two canvases—The Naked Man, depicting a nude youth gripping a monstrous phallus, and The Big Night Down the Drain, showing a Hitler-like figure masturbating.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
1 May 2026
Verb
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An Oscar statuette confiscated by airport security will be returned to its owner, Russian educator Pavel Talankin, after TSA staff determined the trophy was a safety risk.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
Each of their cell phones were confiscated by police, the records say.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
1 May 2026
Verb
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The complex consists of a 1960s-era office block transformed into a five-star hotel, a photo studio revived as a fitness and swim club, and a brutalist parking garage converted into office spaces, with an art gallery set up in the old spiral parking ramp.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 May 2026
-
Some of its generators are being converted to natural gas which will preserve about 100 existing jobs.—
Kirk Siegler,
NPR,
2 May 2026
Verb
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That could impact the situation of Clarke, who outplayed Doughty and usurped his former position on the power play but logged fewer minutes at right defense just the same.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Vodka had overtaken gin in popularity by 1967, but by 2000 had fully usurped it, like Claudius to King Hamlet—occupied its position, married its wife, and taken control of its lands.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investigators later learned Hissom and her male passenger, who was wounded, were caught in a crossfire as a group of four or five men grabbed weapons from a vehicle and began firing at each other.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Aristide then allegedly charged at his brother, grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the ground, according to the report.—
Mauricio Maldonado,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Beginning in the late 1970s, it was occupied by actor, puppeteer, and voice artist Chuck McCann and his wife, William Morris agent Betty Fanning, who lived there for 45 years until their deaths in 2018 and early 2026, respectively.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
30 Apr. 2026
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Daniel Chong, 104 minutes Pixar’s latest family-friendly charmer depicts a land war — over a patch of earth that was once occupied by beavers and other wildlife and that human developers are eager to blow up for a highway.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Story, who stole second in Boston’s three-run first inning, was among the players who might have been relaying signs.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
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And, surprise, surprise, that’s exactly what happened Tuesday when Shirokawa lined a single to center field, stole second base and scored in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 7-6 Fox Valley Conference win over visiting Hampshire.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commandeered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeered. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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