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
Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
Although this year’s edition of the Oscars, which aired on ABC on March 15, was hardly in the class of the 1972 installment, there was at least one moment that recalled Johnson’s witty, graceful sendup of stars commandeering the ceremony to climb atop their soapbox.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
After commandeering the offense with shot volume in recent games, Edwards played a real floor game to get his teammates involved.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
According to the board, the measure prohibits any entity from commandeering city property that disrupts the city's operations.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
This is precisely the type of coercion and commandeering that violates the 10th Amendment.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
The crux of the coalition’s argument is that the immigration operation in Minnesota constitutes a violation of the Tenth Amendment, which protects the sovereignty of states and bars the federal government from commandeering state and local resources for federal purposes.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
In another way, this is about a coach commandeering a program and rebuilding it the old-fashioned way.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Jan. 2026
In that first game, Jokic was seen commandeering the whiteboard to draw up a play in a timeout.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
Imagine, then, commandeering a private plane for the ultimate two-week adventure entirely on your own terms.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
Although this year’s edition of the Oscars, which aired on ABC on March 15, was hardly in the class of the 1972 installment, there was at least one moment that recalled Johnson’s witty, graceful sendup of stars commandeering the ceremony to climb atop their soapbox.
—Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 20 Mar. 2026
After commandeering the offense with shot volume in recent games, Edwards played a real floor game to get his teammates involved.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
According to the board, the measure prohibits any entity from commandeering city property that disrupts the city's operations.
—Tim Fang, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
This is precisely the type of coercion and commandeering that violates the 10th Amendment.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 26 Jan. 2026
The crux of the coalition’s argument is that the immigration operation in Minnesota constitutes a violation of the Tenth Amendment, which protects the sovereignty of states and bars the federal government from commandeering state and local resources for federal purposes.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 23 Jan. 2026
In another way, this is about a coach commandeering a program and rebuilding it the old-fashioned way.
—Arkansas Online, 19 Jan. 2026
In that first game, Jokic was seen commandeering the whiteboard to draw up a play in a timeout.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeering
Noun
-
The backstory The Artist opened in 2024 as a takeover of the Gran Hotel Domine, a hotel that was built in 2002 following the museum’s inauguration in 1997.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 June 2026
-
If a fake page asks for your ID, scammers could use that information for identity theft, account takeovers or other fraud.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Advertisement Even with the right cast and script, this storyline could have been ruinous, its big personalities and B-movie chic and naked boobs with the word boobs scrolled across them hijacking the more crucial but less flashy family arc.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Nicky’s sister Portia (Gus Birney) seems intent on hijacking the wedding, spearheading everything from food to decor.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Scarborough Shoal, known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc and in China as Huangyan Dao, sits within Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, but Beijing has maintained a near-constant presence around the shoal after seizing de facto control in a tense 2012 standoff.—
James LaPorta,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
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Since seizing power, the juntas have cut ties with France and other Western powers, created their own security alliance and turned to Russia for military support to fight extremist insurgencies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
Under current law, 65% of money from fireworks fines and seizures must go to the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Fireworks Enforcement and Disposal Fund.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
-
Owen – an honors student and a volunteer at the local police department who had recently started working at a senior living community and who loved to draw, sing, dance, act and design fashion – died of a seizure.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Verb
-
As Israeli authorities begin confiscating their land, personal tensions collide with political pressure.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
8 June 2026
-
In New York state social studies classes, communism and socialism are presented as two economic systems that make things more equal and fair, with no historical references to the atrocities committed by socialist and communist regimes confiscating property.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
What To Know Representative Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, introduced an amendment to an appropriations bill to fund the Department of the Interior that, if passed, would rename the Kennedy Center for the first lady.—
Hollie Silverman
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 July 2025
-
The $200 million allocated to truck parking in the House transportation appropriations bill released last week is a welcome start to preventing similar tragedies.—
Chris Spear,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Years before winning a Tony and becoming one of comedy’s most singular stars, Cole Escola was stealing scenes on Difficult People.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
-
The Bootleg Cut includes additional character moments, like protagonist and Crowe stand-in William (Patrick Fugit) making a habit of stealing little items from hotel rooms.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Noem has come under fire during her tenure at DHS for her attention-grabbing deportation tactics.—
Greta Bjornson,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
-
The viewer quickly gets bored before grabbing the remote.—
Hannah Miller,
Fortune,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commandeering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeering. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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