hijackings

noun

variants also highjackings
plural of hijacking
as in kidnappings
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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hijackings
  1. kidnappings
  2. abductions
  3. rapes
Noun
  • In 2025, 1,268 kidnappings were reported, a nearly 40% drop from the 2,058 kidnapping reported the previous year, the report stated.
    — Dánica Coto, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
  • In the '30s, when the Lindbergh baby was abducted, kidnappings and ransoms were so common that high-profile people often secured kidnapping insurance.
    — Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of kidnappings
Noun
  • The International Criminal Court in 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Evonitz kept newspaper clippings about their abductions in a locker in his apartment, and authorities later found both fingerprint and DNA evidence connecting him to the crimes, The Washington Post reported.
    — Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of abductions
Noun
  • Dowd Hall shows how the ASWPL destroyed the notion of white Southern chivalry, as the women flatly denied that lynchings were because of the rapes of white women.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Administration officials say third-country deportations are the only way to remove the most difficult-to-deport immigrants, including violent criminals who have committed rapes and murders.
    — Julian Mark, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of rapes
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Hijackings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hijackings. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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