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

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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

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 hijacking
Noun
The tech giant also shared information on the threat, how the group has carried out the hijacking, and the best practices for the public to avoid the threat. — Mason Leib, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026 Thieves have long used a variety of methods — tapping into ducts, hijacking tanker trucks or robbing directly from facilities of Petroleos Mexicanos, the state energy company known as Pemex. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 Other elements that appeared in sequels, such as several Covenant weapons and vehicle hijacking, are also now part of the experience. — Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 29 July 2026 There are also some strong sequences in the climax to Nolan’s Batman trilogy — such as the riveting plane hijacking opener, and Bruce’s trial in The Pit. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026 The prime minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, however, knew that negotiating with terrorists would encourage the next hijacking. — Anne Neuberger, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 The vulnerabilities address issues such as apps causing system termination, malicious web content leading to crashes or other issues such as memory corruption or hijacking of clipboard data. — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 Advertisement Mission hijacking in the nonprofit space A similar overcrowding afflicts the pro-democracy space today. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 The prices, the vast distances fans have to cover, the hijacking of the tournament by malign political forces, the environmental damage that all of this travel is causing… there is plenty to take the edge off the primal joy that the football has given us. — Nick Miller, New York Times, 23 June 2026
Verb
Each episode barrels forward with the logic of a live-action cartoon, hijacking the visual language of everything from My Dinner With Andre to Dog Day Afternoon, while cramming in references to pop culture, video games, and Canadian esoterica. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 July 2026 The side walls engage your peripheral vision without hijacking your attention. — Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026 That is how a quick hotel Wi-Fi session can turn into someone hijacking an account, locking you out, racking up charges or selling your access on the side. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2026 Britain’s far-right has a history of hijacking incidents like this to use as fuel for their own narratives. — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 3 June 2026 This year’s sequel climaxes with Grace hijacking her second wedding to a Satanic heir by killing him and banishing his oligarchical cabal to hell. — Judy Berman, Time, 27 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hijacking
  1. kidnapping
  2. commandeering
  3. abduction
  4. seizing
  5. rape
Noun
  • Members of the Montreal City Police Department found the weapon, a Glock 26, on August 30, 2024, when officers raided a home in relation to a kidnapping investigation, court records show.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The Malheur standoff also drew in the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team, which Northern California sheriffs credited for talking down the Henrichsens and ending last month’s kidnapping without bloodshed.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of kidnapping
Verb
  • Imagine, then, commandeering a private plane for the ultimate two-week adventure entirely on your own terms.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 28 Apr. 2026
  • 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
Definition of commandeering
Noun
  • Zahavy dissected the process that went into Albert Einstein’s formulation of his General Relativity Theory, noting that the scientist’s thinking evolved through three phases – deduction, induction, and finally, abduction.
    — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Two months after the abduction, the body of 20-month-old Charles was found; he had probably been killed during the kidnapping.
    — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of abduction
Verb
  • At home, Indian authorities moved aggressively, seizing his properties and luxury assets, from high-end cars to jewelry and artworks.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Second-year University of Connecticut student Kira Mesick jumped at the chance to fill a resident assistant job at the university’s new, $29 million residence hall in downtown Hartford, seizing on its Pratt Street location.
    — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of seizing
Noun
  • Alabama is scheduled to execute Jeremy Williams by lethal injection for the 2021 rape and murder of a 5-year-old Georgia girl.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Set in the gloomy colder-weather months in San Francisco, Josephine focuses on a young girl (Mason Reeves) who witnesses a brutal rape while out on a jog with her dad, Damien (Channing Tatum), in Golden Gate Park.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of rape

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hijacking
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Cite this Entry

“Hijacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hijacking. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hijacking

Nglish: Translation of hijacking for Spanish Speakers

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