Thesaurus results for COMMANDEERS

commandeers

verb

present tense third-person singular of commandeer

as in hijacks

to take control of (a vehicle) by force an airliner commandeered by terrorists

Synonyms & Similar Words

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as in seizes

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right commandeered all of the equipment, as if the chem lab belonged solely to him

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 commandeers There is a seasonal meadow of two dozen native wildflowers, and a year-round spectacle of sandaster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia) commandeers much of the front yard. — Pedro Moura, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 An exciting scene ramps up the action as Castle commandeers a German tank and drives it over a cliff. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 25 June 2026 The service Bjorn commandeers a small team, and often doubles up as bartender, concierge, and sauna turn-oner. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026 In the middle of the stuffy reception, Jenny commandeers the A/V system, blasting punk rock while a squad of models, clad in her early-aughts emo designs, climb on tables. — Matthew Huff, Vanity Fair, 22 Dec. 2025 When the State Department commandeers the West Virginia hotel to house Axis diplomats in the wake of Pearl Harbor, June realizes that nothing will ever be the same again. — Audiofile Magazine august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeers

Verb

After the high-speed chase erupts into gunfire and a brutal fistfight, Kim hijacks the vehicle, takes the official hostage and speeds off a bridge into the water below.

— Regina Kim, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
Kara changes her tune when Krem hijacks Kara’s ship and shoots Krypto with a poison dart.

— Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 July 2026

Definition of hijacks

Verb

Better, Cretton seizes small moments to put his stamp on this installment.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Rhaenyra, queen of the Blacks, seizes the Iron Throne in King’s Landing with the support of Alicent, who has simply had enough of her unstable and terrible sons.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026

Definition of seizes

Verb

Unlike most other states, California has its own inspection-and-approval system for fireworks, and confiscates those failing standards.

— Trevor Hughes, USA Today, 30 June 2026
The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.

— Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 26 Nov. 2025

Definition of confiscates

Verb

California courts have repeatedly refused to rewrite unconstitutional tax statutes on the grounds that this usurps the role of the Legislature or, in the case of an initiative, the people.

— Jared Walczak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 July 2026
After witnessing Sinner miss 16 break points against the same opponent on Friday, Alcaraz would have been forgiven for worrying that something similar might happen to him — especially against arguably tennis’s greatest escape artist, at least until the Spaniard usurps him.

— Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026

Definition of usurps

Verb

Schmitt, 27, was in the midst of a career year, having already reached career highs in homers (21), RBIs (55) and steals (nine).

— Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 3 Aug. 2026
Though when Pierce Brosnan took up the role in the 1999 remake, Crown steals Monet’s San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk (1908–12) from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, though that painting actually belongs to the National Museum Cardiff in Wales.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 31 July 2026

Definition of steals

Verb

Microsoft occupies a unique position in cyber defense due to its massive enterprise install base as the largest global provider of general-purpose software.

— Will Townsend, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The system occupies about one-seventy-fifth the volume of an active hydrogen maser while offering lower phase noise and stronger short-term stability.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of occupies

Verb

By contrast, Congress appropriates much of the public-private institution’s funding and exercises oversight over the institution, which is governed by a board of regents.

— Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026
The bill appropriates $495 million for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.

— Carrie Brandon Elliot, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

Definition of appropriates

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commandeering

commandeers

commander

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“Commandeers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeers. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of commandeers

verb

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