as in takeover
the unlawful taking or withholding of something from the rightful owner under a guise of authority
the Spanish navy's commandeering of fishing boats and impressment of fishermen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in hijacking
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in seizing
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
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Recent Examples of commandeering
Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Trump declared a crime emergency earlier in August, and his administration deployed federal law enforcement agencies and National Guard members to the District, giving them unprecedented authority to patrol its streets while also commandeering the Metropolitan Police force.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
View 3 Images By commandeering smart thermostats and water heaters and sipping power from in-home EV chargers, virtual power plants are being formed across the country.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
She was accused of commandeering a car owned by a neighbor and former friend and then driving it into the woman, according to court papers.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
Rita Ora once again returns as co-host alongside Seacrest, who’s marking his 20th year commandeering the holiday staple.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024
Companies got creative when shipping costs skyrocketed, placing orders directly with factories to cut out intermediaries or commandeering their own container ships and planes to ensure timely delivery.
—Shannon K. O'Neil, Foreign Affairs, 21 Dec. 2021
Verb
Now, Samsung is commandeering some of the screens already set up in homes to display ads.
—Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
Trump declared a crime emergency earlier in August, and his administration deployed federal law enforcement agencies and National Guard members to the District, giving them unprecedented authority to patrol its streets while also commandeering the Metropolitan Police force.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
View 3 Images By commandeering smart thermostats and water heaters and sipping power from in-home EV chargers, virtual power plants are being formed across the country.
—Michael Franco, New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2024
She was accused of commandeering a car owned by a neighbor and former friend and then driving it into the woman, according to court papers.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
Rita Ora once again returns as co-host alongside Seacrest, who’s marking his 20th year commandeering the holiday staple.
—Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024
Companies got creative when shipping costs skyrocketed, placing orders directly with factories to cut out intermediaries or commandeering their own container ships and planes to ensure timely delivery.
—Shannon K. O'Neil, Foreign Affairs, 21 Dec. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeering
Noun
-
Check out Billboard‘s eight biggest takeaways from the theatrical takeover here.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The banner recently completed its takeover of MultiChoice Group, the leading South African pay TV company, and has committed to investing in South African content and work with local producers and talent.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These devices emit bursts of electromagnetic energy across multiple bands, effectively blinding or hijacking most standard FPV drones that depend on Wi-Fi or radio.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
-
The hacker’s malware focuses on stealing cryptocurrency by hijacking and manipulating the user's browser.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The American withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 created the vacuum into which Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi marched, declaring a caliphate and seizing territory the size of Britain.—
Aviva Klompas,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The ultra-orthodox group, with their leader Eretz Zakay, had a long history of illegally seizing Palestinian property across Jerusalem.—
Ryan Byrnes,
Literary Hub,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
On Wednesday, the Italian carabinieri art squad executed the seizure of 21 pieces of tapestries, drawings and engravings following a judge’s warrant.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
-
According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, the disorder generally presents with a global developmental delay, moderate to severe intellectual disability, and seizures and progressive motor symptoms, amongst other things.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Witnesses claimed that after France’s embarrassing loss to Haiti, the French government retaliated by confiscating Ferdinand’s belongings and abandoning the child to an orphanage.—
Marlene L. Daut
September 22,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Even confiscating half would barely register against a $6 trillion federal budget.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Since none of the 12 appropriations bills have been approved, this shutdown is more extensive than the partial shutdown that started in December 2018, when Congress had enacted five of the 12 appropriations bills, said the nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank Committee for a Responsible Budget.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
-
But Republicans instead want to pass a short-term funding bill to keep the government open for a few weeks while bipartisan negotiations on appropriations take place.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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What he’s actually done is fake his death to create a template for a new life by stealing $90 million from a client of his crooked law firm.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
-
One man was arrested and accused of stealing a golf cart.—
Bob Harkins,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Securing the Shield ensures the top seed for Philly and home-field advantage throughout the MLS Cup playoffs for a team that has quietly gone about a consistent season without grabbing much in the way of attention.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
Without strangers lunging at her and grabbing her forearm.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commandeering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeering. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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