variants
also highjack
as in to commandeer
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
some loser tried to hijack the plane with a toy gun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 hijack
Our amygdala is overactive, our nervous systems are fried and our dopamine cycles are hijacked by short-term stimuli.
—
Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
The film, produced by Star Platinum, dramatizes a 1970 incident in which a communist group hijacked a passenger plane and diverted it to Pyongyang.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
This is not something that anyone at Westland will say, but there has been quite a bit of press and publicity surrounding the theft, which comes on the heels of a truckload of Santo Tequila being hijacked about a year ago.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the larvae hijack the host’s brain, turning the caterpillar into their slave.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hijack
Chris Schembra, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
The film, produced by Star Platinum, dramatizes a 1970 incident in which a communist group hijacked a passenger plane and diverted it to Pyongyang.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
This is not something that anyone at Westland will say, but there has been quite a bit of press and publicity surrounding the theft, which comes on the heels of a truckload of Santo Tequila being hijacked about a year ago.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 20 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the larvae hijack the host’s brain, turning the caterpillar into their slave.
—Tyler Austin Harper, The Atlantic, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hijack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hijack
commandeer
Verb
-
Some hosts might not like someone else commandeering the centerpiece of the meal.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Under the cover of night, a flotilla of boats, some of them commandeered from local fishermen, tried to cross the Dnipro and land on the embankment near the plant, according to three Ukrainian military officers involved in the planning and execution of the assault.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hijack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hijack. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share