Synonyms

skyjack

American

[skahy-jak] / ˈskaɪˌdʒæk /

verb (used with object)

to hijack (an airliner), especially in order to hold the passengers and plane for ransom or for political reasons.

skyjack British

/ ˈskaɪˌdʒæk /

verb

(tr) to commandeer (an aircraft), usually at gunpoint during flight, forcing the pilot to fly somewhere other than to the scheduled destination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

skyjacker noun

Etymology

Origin of skyjack

First recorded in 1965–70; sky + (hi)jack

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.

While world attention focused on the drama of a quadruple skyjack last week, the greater crisis of peace or war hung unresolved over the Middle East.

From Time Magazine Archive

Though the action was scarcely as spectacular as the daring rescue of 101 skyjack hostages from Uganda's Entebbe Airport, Israel last week won another round on hostile territory against air terrorism.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023