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hijack
or high·jack
[ hahy-jak ]
/ ˈhaɪˌdʒæk /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object)
to steal (cargo) from a truck or other vehicle after forcing it to stop: to hijack a load of whiskey.
to rob (a vehicle) after forcing it to stop: They hijacked the truck before it entered the city.
to seize (a vehicle) by force or threat of force.
to skyjack.
verb (used without object)
to engage in such stealing or seizing.
noun
an act or instance or hijacking.
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Origin of hijack
1920–25, Americanism; back formation from hijacker
OTHER WORDS FROM hijack
an·ti·hi·jack, adjectiveWords nearby hijack
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use hijack in a sentence
Back in the US embassy, Zambernardi listened to the wires and confirmed that the Soviets knew nothing about the hijack.
Lunik: Inside the CIA’s audacious plot to steal a Soviet satellite|Bobbie Johnson|January 28, 2021|MIT Technology ReviewOne network security engineer who asked not to be named as they were not authorized to speak to the media questioned whether DNSSEC would be effective at all against a top-level domain hijack.
A security researcher commandeered a country’s expired top-level domain to save it from hackers|Zack Whittaker|January 15, 2021|TechCrunch
British Dictionary definitions for hijack
hijack
highjack
/ (ˈhaɪˌdʒæk) /
verb
(tr) to seize, divert, or appropriate (a vehicle or the goods it carries) while in transitto hijack an aircraft
to rob (a person or vehicle) by forceto hijack a traveller
(esp in the US during Prohibition) to rob (a bootlegger or smuggler) of his illicit goods or to steal (illicit goods) in transit
noun
the act or an instance of hijacking
Derived forms of hijack
hijacker or highjacker, nounWord Origin for hijack
C20: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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