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

For Elba, 53, seeing Sam navigate a hijacking from a different angle, while also challenging the audience to figure why his character is taking such drastic measures, helped convince him that a second season of Apple TV's thriller series was a good idea. —Sabienna Bowman, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026

Speaking to Deadline in London late last year, the star and executive producer of the Apple TV thriller series talked through the mind state of Nelson, a talented business negotiator and ordinary working man who becomes an unlikely hero after a plane hijacking in Season 1. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Jan. 2026

This allowed credential theft, session hijacking and code injection on any website. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Dec. 2025

Similarly, the presence of dead Colombians at the site of the railroad hijacking suggested that Cortez’s cartel bosses might be hanging him and his soldiers out to dry. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 7 Dec. 2025

The following list of darkly gripping movies include undercover police operations, addictive assassin dramas, and perilous hijacking odysseys based on true stories. —Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025

Genetic differences in immune regulation may also play a role in how easy a job the virus has in hijacking and recruiting cells. —New Atlas, 21 Nov. 2025

Since the hijacking, Dallas has upgraded its 173 sirens, installing what the city claims is one of the most advanced encryption systems in the country. —CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025

The private security firm Ambrey told the Associated Press that the hijacking involved three small Iranian boats. —Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 14 Nov. 2025

Verb

There will never again be one rogue program hijacking the sport with attitude and intimidation. —Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026

Three men who escaped a Georgia jail were arrested Monday in Florida, accused of hijacking a Lyft ride-share and kidnapping the driver after putting a rope around her neck, according to a criminal complaint. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 27 Dec. 2025

This helps prevent criminals from hijacking phone numbers or spoofing calls and texts. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025

Theories about what happened range from hijacking to cabin depressurization or power failure. —CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025

Scientists have found the clearest evidence yet that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) – which nearly all of us carry for life – is directly responsible for hijacking our immune system's cells to cause lupus, a chronic disease that affects up to a million Americans. —New Atlas, 21 Nov. 2025

The episode features Lois (Alex Borstein), a worker at Big Pie, who travels to a small town with the goal of hijacking Peter’s (Seth MacFarlane) secret, beloved pie recipe. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 18 Nov. 2025

Furthermore, viruses exploit these interactions by hijacking host proteins to replicate during infection. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025

This constant barrage overshadows the self-care experience, hijacking my focus and frankly, tiring me out. —Caelan McMichael, Allure, 7 Oct. 2025