Thesaurus results for COMMANDEERED

commandeered

verb

Definition of commandeered next

past tense of commandeer

as in hijacked

to take control of (a vehicle) by force an airliner commandeered by terrorists

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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 commandeered The concept is based upon unfussy Italian cooking with local ingredients, commandeered by a chef whose background is in looking after Italy’s most prestigious families, rather than restaurants. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026 Since last year, when the RSF overran parts of Darfur and Kordofan, the militia has commandeered the gum trade, integrating it into its smuggling empire and further starving government coffers. —

Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2026 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 Antwaun Sargent commandeered the Gagosian booth, which has a pleasantly group show-y feel, with a nice moment featuring a Theaster Gates sculpture flanked by a Stanley Whitney painting and a Tyler Mitchell photograph. —

Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 15 May 2026 Magyar commandeered a political party called Tisza. —

Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeered

Verb

To stage the season-three premiere of the series formerly known as Interview With the Vampire — now, in character-appropriate fashion, hijacked and renamed The Vampire Lestat — AMC turned the screening into a tour stop for the character played by Sam Reid.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 3 June 2026
In firing Pelley on Tuesday, Bilton said the journalist had hijacked the meeting and rejected overtures to work constructively through their differences.

— David Folkenflik, NPR, 3 June 2026