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
Magyar commandeered a political party called Tisza.
—
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
The platform was taken offline on Thursday after hackers commandeered it to display a ransom message threatening to leak sensitive information from 275 million users across about 8,800 universities that rely on Canvas.
—Matthew Kelly
may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
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
Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
The platform was taken offline on Thursday after hackers commandeered it to display a ransom message threatening to leak sensitive information from 275 million users across about 8,800 universities that rely on Canvas.
—Matthew Kelly
may 8, Kansas City Star, 8 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeered
Verb
-
Minnesota's Target Center turned into a political stage Saturday night as the Minnesota Lynx home opener against the Atlanta Dream was hijacked by a fan shouting anti-ICE sentiments.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
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
Verb
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He was also ordered to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit roughly $17 million that the government seized from bank accounts.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
-
So far this year, 12 guns have been seized by Annapolis Police, according to department data.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Detectives confiscated over $10,000 cash, along with narcotics and a firearm, after serving a search warrant Thursday in Westland, Michigan.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
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In 1782, Aspden learned that all of his property had been confiscated and would be sold to aid the patriots in the American Revolution.—
Kimberly Nath,
The Conversation,
7 May 2026
Verb
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The bill, introduced by Democrats in Connecticut, would effectively ban most Glock-style pistols that can be converted into a machine gun.—
Adam Sabes,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
The system also achieved an overall carbon conversion efficiency of 83%, meaning a much larger portion of the sludge's carbon was converted into usable fuel rather than remaining trapped in residual waste.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
9 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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Sabres winger Zach Benson took advantage of Lane Hutson stumbling at the defensive blue line, and grabbed a loose puck before setting up Josh Doan for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
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When he was found, deputies said Ortiz became belligerent, yelled at employees, threatened to harm them with a gun, and grabbed one of the resort employees.—
Steven Yablonski,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Trying to link ads to consumer outcomes has been a quest that has occupied many on Madison Avenue for years.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
7 May 2026
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Construction could begin after the city signs off on annexation, plats and a new water well for the area, but the developer told council members homes are unlikely to be occupied until after ITD finishes its Karcher Road work, with full build‑out expected to take five to 10 years.—
Noah Daly
May 7,
Idaho Statesman,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Unidentified trespassers stole the control stick out of an R train while it was parked underground in southern Brooklyn back in December — along a stretch of storage track popular with joyriders and graffiti artists.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Bregman singled and stole second, and Ian Happ challenged a full-count strike-3 call that was overturned to a walk.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commandeered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeered. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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