Thesaurus results for HIJACK

hijack

verb

ˈhī-ˌjak

variants also highjack

Definition of hijack

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 That debate accelerated in early September after Reuters reported that OpenAI’s agents hijacked a dormant German wiki site this spring. — Harshita Mary Varghese, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026 As money hijacks morality and democracy begins to look like a hoax, Tresnjak’s Broadway-caliber staging contrasts garish spectacle with piercingly intimate scenes between Claire and Anton. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 On that beautiful Tuesday morning, Islamic terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 Sep. 2026 Morgan was a young airbus pilot for United when terrorists hijacked four planes and used them to attack the United States. — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hijack

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hijack

Verb

Or commandeering a military system or nuclear power plant in pursuit of its paper clip goal.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
In the course of three weeks, Israeli soldiers destroyed much of the area, razing schools and mosques and commandeering buildings for use as military posts.

— Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of commandeer

Verb

Oviedo also alleged that bundles of cash seized from an ambulance leaving Mariaca’s home in the city of Santa Cruz early Thursday were proceeds of extortion targeting people who sought help from prosecutors.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Azerbaijan has denied these allegations, but the country is a major oil supplier to Israel, which might be enough to push Tehran to try to seize Nakhichevan, an Azerbaijani exclave on the Iranian border.

— Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of seize

Browse Nearby Words

highways

hijack

hijacked

See all Nearby Words

Articles Related to hijack

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hijack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hijack. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of hijack

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

The Words of the Week - 4/9/2021

Come Back Here With That: 10 Fun Words...

How 'Punk Rock' Got Its Name

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

heterodox

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes