hijack

or high·jack

[ hahy-jak ]

verb (used with object)

1. to steal (cargo) from a truck or other vehicle after forcing it to stop:

   to hijack a load of whiskey.

2. to rob (a vehicle) after forcing it to stop:

   They hijacked the truck before it entered the city.

3. to seize (a vehicle) by force or threat of force.
4. to skyjack.

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in such stealing or seizing.

noun

1. an act or instance of hijacking.

hijack

/ ˈhaɪˌdʒæk /

verb

1. tr to seize, divert, or appropriate (a vehicle or the goods it carries) while in transit

   to hijack an aircraft

2. to rob (a person or vehicle) by force

   to hijack a traveller

3. (esp in the US during Prohibition) to rob (a bootlegger or smuggler) of his illicit goods or to steal (illicit goods) in transit

noun

1. the act or an instance of hijacking

Derived Forms

• ˈhiˌjacker, noun

Other Words From

• anti·hijack adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hijack¹

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; back formation from hijacker

Word History and Origins

Origin of hijack¹

C20: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

The Department of Education has long been a focal point for Trump’s war on “wokeness,” the president-elect and his allies depicting schools as a political battleground hijacked by the left.

From Salon

Anderson said Moore and her ex-boyfriend, Anthony David Flores, had embarked on a scheme to exploit the victim, Mark Sawusch, and “hijack his fortune.”

From Los Angeles Times

She had boarded an American Airlines flight to Los Angeles that was hijacked.

From Los Angeles Times

These range from hijackings of freight lorries delivering food to warehouses to the theft of 24 live lobsters from a storage pen in Scotland.

From BBC

Trading standards described the scam as "clever", with the website featuring a photo of a registered dentist based in south-west England, who had no idea their identity had been hijacked.

From BBC

Related Words

• carjack
• commandeer
• kidnap
• steal