hijack
Americanverb (used with object)
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to steal (cargo) from a truck or other vehicle after forcing it to stop.
to hijack a load of whiskey.
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to rob (a vehicle) after forcing it to stop.
They hijacked the truck before it entered the city.
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to seize (a vehicle) by force or threat of force.
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to skyjack.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
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(tr) to seize, divert, or appropriate (a vehicle or the goods it carries) while in transit
to hijack an aircraft
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to rob (a person or vehicle) by force
to hijack a traveller
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(esp in the US during Prohibition) to rob (a bootlegger or smuggler) of his illicit goods or to steal (illicit goods) in transit
noun
Other Word Forms
- antihijack adjective
- hijacker noun
Etymology
Origin of hijack
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; back formation from hijacker
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The late author’s message held lessons about life, but we’ll hijack it for one about financial markets.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026
"They hijack the machinery that makes proteins, disrupt the 'postal service' that sends messages between different parts of the cell, and disable the defenses that normally protect us from infection."
From Science Daily • Nov. 5, 2025
As a result, Mr Farrow believes different groups have since been able to hijack them as their own symbols.
From BBC • Sep. 14, 2025
Ground Game LA argues that the journalists essentially tried to hijack the news outlet, taking its trademarked name, stealing its confidential mailing list and misrepresenting themselves as the outlet’s rightful leaders.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2025
I scowled, which wasn’t a big deal since everyone in the room was wearing a similar disgruntled expression, although I was pretty sure it wasn’t because their simulation test hijack wasn’t going as they’d planned.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
