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

Since these ships will operate in the North Atlantic, high-seas hijacking is extremely unlikely, and physical intrusion into a reactor vessel in port presents immediate hazards to an intruder. — New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026

For some supporters, there were alarming echoes of last year’s Hugo Ekitike ‘hijacking’. — George Caulkin, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Hetzner Online reclaimed the address space 12 hours after the hijacking started by announcing the correct path. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2026

But, at some level, these campaigns also seem a response to the right-wing evangelical hijacking of the Gospel message. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026

Despite the taboo, Pan Am spent the 1980s running its own reassurance campaign amid a wave of hijacking and bombing threats against transatlantic flights, insisting on its own safety and security even as the threats mounted. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

The attacks have occurred increasingly far from Somalia’s coastline, including the hijacking of the Eureka while anchored off Yemen and the Asana about 65 nautical miles southwest of Al-Mukalla. — Omar Faruk, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026

But the border is only one issue that Velis, a traditional Democrat, is taking on the DSA in a state where leading Democrats have either embraced the hijacking of their party by the radical DSA or have run for cover. — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Eight pirates, believed to be members of a group previously involved in the hijacking of the M/V Sward on April 26, took the vessel toward the coast near Garmaal in Puntland’s Dangoroyo district. — ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026

Verb

These viruses, known as retroviruses, insert a DNA copy of their RNA sequence into the host cell’s genome, hijacking the cell’s resources to reproduce themselves. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

Over the weekend, ShinyHunters boasted about hijacking and defacing CLOP’s site on the dark web with an image of a Pokémon. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026

It's been 25 years since al-Qaida terrorists attacked the United States by hijacking four commercial airplanes and crashing them into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. — September 9, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026

But since they’re still required by the rules to play all 27 outs, the Phillies just keep hijacking these Weird and Wild columns. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Which in a very real sense signals long-time Fed efforts to expand its own purpose by hijacking inflation. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

The longtime Adult Swim mischief-maker behind the viral hits ‘Too Many Cooks’ and ‘Yule Log’ specializes in hijacking familiar media formats, revealing the sinister anxieties beneath them. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 2026

Visible signs of body-hijacking mental illness drive Ingrid to a grisly suicide in the bathroom that her daughter is forced to witness. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026

The question is how long the mini-digression can become without hijacking the main sentence (or story). — Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026