hijacker
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of hijacker
1885–90, high(wayman) + jacker, apparently jack 1 to hunt by night with aid of a jack light + -er 1
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 hijacker Wilfried Boese “blanched” when a hostage displayed a concentration-camp tattoo and said Boese’s treatment of women, children and the elderly showed nothing had changed in Germany.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
Nelson makes decisions that will leave you screaming at the television, like giving a hijacker back a pistol he retrieved because he "just wanted to get back home to his family."
From Salon • Aug. 31, 2023
When the administrator could not stop the display or eject the intruder, she ended the meeting and asked participants to rejoin — only for the hijacker to again take control.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2022
Himmelsbach had very little doubt about who this hijacker was.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2022
Only five people remained on board TWA85 - captain Cook, first officer Wenzel Williams, flight engineer Lloyd Hollrah, flight attendant Tracey Coleman and the hijacker himself.
From BBC • Oct. 26, 2019
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.
