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
Etymology
Origin of hijack
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; back formation from hijacker
Explanation
To hijack a vehicle is to take control of it by force. Chances are you've seen an action movie in which some villains hijack a car or plane. To hijack a vehicle is to take it over illegally. Such a crime is called a hijack or a hijacking. Hijack can be used more generally to mean “take over.” If your friend has a bad habit of interrupting other people to talk about himself, you can say that he tends to hijack the conversation.
Vocabulary lists containing hijack
President Obama's U.N. Address
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Towers Falling
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Mid-Air
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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.
For most of human history, viruses have been our unseen enemies—particles of RNA and DNA that hijack our cells.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
By layering these techniques, the researchers built the clearest picture yet of how TFE3 oncofusions hijack RNA to build cancer's growth hubs.
From Science Daily • Oct. 22, 2025
The Hammers' hijack effectively cost Guehi his move to Anfield.
From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025
But the musical belongs to Juliet, and Webb has the vocal prowess to hijack the stage whenever she’s soaring in song.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2025
I'd looted the Vonnegut from a cadre of Oviraptor clansmen who had foolishly attempted to hijack my X-wing while I was cruising through a large group of worlds in Sector Eleven known as the Whedonverse.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
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.
