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commandeered

verb

past tense of commandeer
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

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 Jackson campaign had commandeered the green room Bottoms and her aides were supposed to use for the event. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 28 Aug. 2026 John’s little motorbike proves no match for the large truck commandeered by the T-1000, which blasts through a cinder block wall at one point. — ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026 This data could be leveraged for surveillance or intelligence, and robots could be remotely commandeered. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The Loa River was commandeered in its entirety, source to mouth. — Cristina Dorador, The Dial, 14 July 2026 The event was so popular that the crowd spilled into the place next door, and in a restaurant called Amber, the sound system was commandeered. — Simon Hughes, New York Times, 24 June 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeered
  1. hijacked
  2. seized
  3. confiscated
  4. converted
  5. usurped
  6. grabbed
  7. occupied
  8. stole
Verb
  • The morning of September 11, two airplanes hijacked by Islamic extremist terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Another happened in 2022 when attackers hijacked IP addresses belonging to Amazon.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of hijacked
Verb
  • Masterson’s detractors have seized on the rebrand as an attempt to minimize his connection to Trump in a year when national Republicans worry the president’s polarizing leadership could cost the party majorities in the House and Senate.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Agents also seized a semiautomatic handgun and $11,800 in cash, the outlet reported.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of seized
Verb
  • Additional devices were reportedly confiscated at James' home, officials said.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • One order prevented federal agents from moving detainees out of state within seventy-two hours of being arrested; another demanded that the government return confiscated belongings to released detainees.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of confiscated
Verb
  • The Dutchman, converted from a defensive midfielder into a right-back, is another player on a damagingly long casualty list who is ruled out until after the international break.
    — Andy Naylor, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The 32-year-old Boeing 767 was originally built to carry passengers and flew for several airlines for more than two decades before being converted to a cargo plane in 2015, according to flight-tracking site Flightradar24.
    — Anthony Izaguirre, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of converted
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
  • Howie Roseman acquired Bigsby after Week 1, and Bigsby eventually usurped Shipley as Barkley’s top backup.
    — Zach Berman, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of usurped
Verb
  • Chicago police said a man approached each victim from behind, wrapped his arms around them and then grabbed their breasts and groin area over their clothes before fleeing the area.
    — Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Hardy avoided a collision, but Showalter grabbed him and swung him off his bicycle, the lawsuit said.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of grabbed
Verb
  • Tom Bonser, who was chief financial officer, left in January and has since taken on a new position at Fulham — although his role is now filled by Tom Rawcliffe, who previously occupied similar jobs at AFC Wimbledon and Bristol City.
    — Paul Taylor, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Israel argues that the territory is disputed rather than occupied, and asserts that Jews have a historical right to the land.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of occupied
Verb
  • The victim said the assailant then struck his companion in the forehead with the pistol, stole his wallet and ran.
    — Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The Retrievals follows an unlikely community of IVF patients who come together to crusade against Yale University after they are operated on without anesthesia — because a nurse (Ryan) stole their fentanyl.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of stole

Browse Nearby Words

commandeer
commandeered
commandeering
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Cite this Entry

“Commandeered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeered. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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