carjack

American  

[kahr-jak] / ˈkɑrˌdʒæk /

verb (used without object)

1. to forcibly steal a vehicle from a motorist.

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verb (used with object)

1. to forcibly steal (a vehicle), or to victimize (a driver) in this way.

carjack British  

/ ˈkɑːˌdʒæk /

verb

1. (tr) to attack (a driver in a car) in order to rob the driver or to steal the car for another crime

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Other Word Forms

• carjacker noun

Etymology

Origin of carjack

1990-95; blend of car ¹ + hijack

Explanation

To carjack is to forcefully steal an occupied car from its driver. Sometimes a person who carjacks instructs the victim to drive somewhere. As opposed to a car thief who takes an unoccupied car from a parking lot or street, someone who carjacks might force his way into a car stopped at a red light. A person who commits this crime is called a carjacker. The word carjack is relatively new, dating only from the 1990s when the crime was rampant in certain cities. It combines car and hijack, "stealing a plane or ship while in transit."

Example Sentences

Brandon Bosley was charged Wednesday with one misdemeanor count of making a false report to police when he said a woman tried to carjack him last year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 23, 2023

The mayor of Washington D.C. said that the killer in a carjack slaying earlier this week “probably” didn’t mean to murder his victim.

From Washington Times • Mar. 10, 2022

So, why would the fear of the death penalty have any greater impact on a police officer than it would on the average person who’s trying to carjack?

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2021

Officer Lopera, who caught up to Mr. Farmer behind the hotel, said he believed he was trying to carjack a pickup truck, though the truck driver said he did not think that was the case.

From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2017

Related Words

• commandeer
• kidnap
• steal