1
as in hijacks
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in seizes
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 commandeers
When the State Department commandeers the West Virginia hotel to house Axis diplomats in the wake of Pearl Harbor, June realizes that nothing will ever be the same again.
—
Audiofile Magazine
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
Audiofile Magazine
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeers
Verb
-
After all, if an attacker hijacks the agent’s credentials or manipulates its input data, the agent could take harmful actions faster and more persistently than any human user.—
Michael DeCesare,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
-
In their new action-comedy movie The Pickup, Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson play armored truck drivers who are reluctantly pulled into a casino heist when a burglar (Keke Palmer) hijacks their vehicle.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Continue reading … DRUG WAR VICTORY – Task force seizes enough cocaine 'to kill every American' in record efforts.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Against her will, Fadia becomes trapped in an asylum while her cousin seizes her inheritance, depriving her of even her right to grieve.—
Jenny S. Li,
Variety,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
When virtual particle pairs pop into existence at the edge of black holes, sometimes the black hole’s gravity grabs one partner while the other escapes.—
Dipangkar Dutta,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
-
When Catalina goes into the kitchen to refill her calabash, Frances grabs the box of Thompson paperbacks and makes a run for Ray at the restaurant.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Carol steals him away first and is so awkward and confused as to how to flirt.—
Ali Barthwell,
Vulture,
2 Oct. 2025
-
But as in most of his roles since The Departed and The Fighter, Wahlberg shows little charisma, particularly when he’s flanked by an actor with the irreverent verve of LaKeith Stanfield, who steals every scene without even breaking a sweat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Its glass door entrance opens directly onto the kitchen, which occupies the central portion of the home and takes up much of the available floorspace.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Xidan Books occupies an immense five-story building in the Xicheng district of Beijing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, because capital appropriates the powers of living labor to itself, the distinctiveness of the latter is deeply obscured.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Sep. 2025
-
Braisted explained that the school district answers to the state, which appropriates most federal funding for MNPS.—
Evan Mealins,
The Tennessean,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Each of the casitas at Los Milics has a living room that converts to a bedroom.—
Richard Ruelas,
AZCentral.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Taiwan converts time into a weapon by turning drones into throughput problems, from design to fab to field to refresh.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) preempts states from enacting laws that conflict with ERISA on regulated benefit plans.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Story editing is a form of self-talk that preempts your under-estimator from seizing control with its bludgeoning feedback.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commandeers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeers. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share