Synonyms of hijacking

hijacking 1 of 2

noun

variants also highjacking

as in kidnapping

the unlawful or forcible carrying away of a person or animal

a country in which hijackings of foreign executives has become commonplace

Synonyms & Similar Words

• kidnapping
• abduction
• rape
• snatch
• seizure
• impressment
• shanghaiing

hijacking

2 of 2

verb

variants also highjacking

present participle of hijack

as in commandeering

to take control of (a vehicle) by force

some loser tried to hijack the plane with a toy gun

Synonyms & Similar Words

• commandeering
• seizing
• confiscating
• carjacking
• skyjacking
• appropriating
• expropriating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hijacking

Noun

An official confirmed that Israel had scrambled warplanes, fearing a hijacking. — Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026

The initial hijacking fears carried particular weight in Israel, where aviation security has long been shaped by a history of attacks on Israeli travelers and aircraft. — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

One signal indicated a general emergency, while another corresponded to unlawful interference or a hijacking situation. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026

The 7500 distress code, which is used to signal a possible hijacking, set off alarms at the highest levels. — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Puntland police also responded to the hijacking of the oil tanker MT Eureka, which was seized in May. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026

Earlier, an official confirmed that Israel had scrambled warplanes, fearing a hijacking. — Samy Magdy, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026

Using the code signals a potential hijacking or cockpit intrusion to air traffic control and law enforcement. — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Since these ships will operate in the North Atlantic, high-seas hijacking is extremely unlikely, and physical intrusion into a reactor vessel in port presents immediate hazards to an intruder. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

Verb

These viruses, known as retroviruses, insert a DNA copy of their RNA sequence into the host cell’s genome, hijacking the cell’s resources to reproduce themselves. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Over the weekend, ShinyHunters boasted about hijacking and defacing CLOP’s site on the dark web with an image of a Pokémon. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

It's been 25 years since al-Qaida terrorists attacked the United States by hijacking four commercial airplanes and crashing them into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. — September 9, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

But since they’re still required by the rules to play all 27 outs, the Phillies just keep hijacking these Weird and Wild columns. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Which in a very real sense signals long-time Fed efforts to expand its own purpose by hijacking inflation. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

The longtime Adult Swim mischief-maker behind the viral hits ‘Too Many Cooks’ and ‘Yule Log’ specializes in hijacking familiar media formats, revealing the sinister anxieties beneath them. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Visible signs of body-hijacking mental illness drive Ingrid to a grisly suicide in the bathroom that her daughter is forced to witness. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026

The question is how long the mini-digression can become without hijacking the main sentence (or story). — Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026