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

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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 In May 2025, a source told PEOPLE that the family tensions came to a head after Victoria allegedly hijacked a dance at Brooklyn's wedding, despite her son and Nicola's planned moment for the song, which was performed by Marc Anthony as a gift to the newlyweds. Jordana Comiter, People.com, 3 June 2025 Marv used Eastern Bloc training methods to build him into a passing machine and essentially hijacked his childhood. Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 29 May 2025 With his keffiyeh, aviator sunglasses, and beard stubble, Arafat first received media attention in the 1960s and 1970s, when the PLO was hijacking airplanes and perpetrating terrorist attacks. Sean Durns, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2025 Microsoft accounts are now at risk from a new attack that has hijacked Google’s App Scripts to provide a veil of authenticity when sending malicious phishing emails. Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for hijack
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hijack
commandeer
Verb
  • Planning to open the 1,000-bed facility within days, state law enforcement officials commandeered the environmentally sensitive land, owned by Miami-Dade County, and began ushering in trucks carrying portable restrooms and industrial generators.
    Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 24 June 2025
  • Trump commandeered California’s National Guard to put troops on the ground in Los Angeles, and mobilized U.S. Marines to that city.
    Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 12 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hijack.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hijack. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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