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
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variants
also highjacking
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
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Recent Examples of hijacking
ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The hijacking sparked a dramatic police chase that ended in a rush-hour shootout when the truck became stuck in traffic on the busy Miramar Parkway.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
The role of Israel’s hijacking of Iran’s street cameras in the killing of the country’s supreme leader underscores how surveillance systems are increasingly being targeted by adversaries in wartime.
—Dake Kang, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
And each one of those detours represents an opportunity for a hijacking if the data isn’t properly encrypted.
—Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2026
After the first season found Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) unwittingly involved in the hijacking of a plane, Season 2 of the show takes things underground, as Sam is part of a hijacking of a U-Bahn subway train in Berlin, specifically on the U5 route.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
The plot loosely draws from and includes actual footage from real-life events including the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
In the 1960s, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and then the Palestine Liberation Organization began hijacking international flights.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
In December, security researchers also spotted evidence that the creators of Aisuru were behind a new botnet called Kimwolf that’s been hijacking Android TV boxes.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
European Union leaders on Thursday lashed out at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, accusing him of hijacking critical aid for Ukraine and undermining EU decision-making in an effort to win an election at home.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
Twin fuel crises sparked panic buying, hoarding and violence as Americans resorted to desperate measures including siphoning, theft and even hijacking tanker trucks.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The goal is to stop scammers from hijacking accounts through tricks like fake talent competitions or misleading QR codes.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
For example, a standout sequence in which Mabel’s attempts to communicate with Jerry via text-to-speech on her phone are derailed by George and the other animals hijacking it while discovering emojis is a riot, and only works because each of the characters is immediately understandable.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
The Pentagon does not want hostile forces hijacking these robotic freighters.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026
Noun
The role of Israel's hijacking of Iran’s street cameras in the killing of the country’s supreme leader underscores how surveillance systems are increasingly being targeted by adversaries in wartime.
—ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026
The hijacking sparked a dramatic police chase that ended in a rush-hour shootout when the truck became stuck in traffic on the busy Miramar Parkway.
—Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
The role of Israel’s hijacking of Iran’s street cameras in the killing of the country’s supreme leader underscores how surveillance systems are increasingly being targeted by adversaries in wartime.
—Dake Kang, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
And each one of those detours represents an opportunity for a hijacking if the data isn’t properly encrypted.
—Renee Dudley, ProPublica, 18 Mar. 2026
After the first season found Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) unwittingly involved in the hijacking of a plane, Season 2 of the show takes things underground, as Sam is part of a hijacking of a U-Bahn subway train in Berlin, specifically on the U5 route.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Mar. 2026
The plot loosely draws from and includes actual footage from real-life events including the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
—Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
Nicky’s sister Portia (Gus Birney) seems intent on hijacking the wedding, spearheading everything from food to decor.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
In the 1960s, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and then the Palestine Liberation Organization began hijacking international flights.
—Joshua M. Davidson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
In December, security researchers also spotted evidence that the creators of Aisuru were behind a new botnet called Kimwolf that’s been hijacking Android TV boxes.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
European Union leaders on Thursday lashed out at Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, accusing him of hijacking critical aid for Ukraine and undermining EU decision-making in an effort to win an election at home.
—ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026
Twin fuel crises sparked panic buying, hoarding and violence as Americans resorted to desperate measures including siphoning, theft and even hijacking tanker trucks.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The goal is to stop scammers from hijacking accounts through tricks like fake talent competitions or misleading QR codes.
—Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 12 Mar. 2026
For example, a standout sequence in which Mabel’s attempts to communicate with Jerry via text-to-speech on her phone are derailed by George and the other animals hijacking it while discovering emojis is a riot, and only works because each of the characters is immediately understandable.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
The Pentagon does not want hostile forces hijacking these robotic freighters.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hijacking
Noun
-
Detectives have not determined if he is connected to last week's kidnapping in the same general area.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
-
In November, the board granted parole to Gregory Lee Vogelsang, who was convicted in August 1999 of more than two dozen child molestation and kidnapping charges involving five boys.—
Sharon Bernstein,
Sacbee.com,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Although this year’s edition of the Oscars, which aired on ABC on March 15, was hardly in the class of the 1972 installment, there was at least one moment that recalled Johnson’s witty, graceful sendup of stars commandeering the ceremony to climb atop their soapbox.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Mar. 2026
-
After commandeering the offense with shot volume in recent games, Edwards played a real floor game to get his teammates involved.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has been heavily criticized for the lack of concrete evidence during this long investigation, revealed that his department is focusing on an incident that might have happened a few weeks before Nancy’s abduction.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Local officials have not held a news conference in over a month, and law enforcement still has not determined a motive in her abduction.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Riverside County sheriff and GOP governor candidate draws heat for seizing 650,000 ballots from last November’s election, claiming possible fraud with little evidence.—
Bay Area News Group,
Mercury News,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Much speculation has been focused on US forces potentially seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
He was booked on one count of rape by force, one count of forcible oral copulation, one count of robbery, one count of extortion and one count of battery and remains behind bars in lieu of $600,000 bail, police said.—
Dean Fioresi,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
She was granted three emergency protective orders and sought medical attention for injuries sustained during a rape and multiple beatings.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hijacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hijacking. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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