hijack

or high·jack

[ hahy-jak ]
See synonyms for hijack on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to steal (cargo) from a truck or other vehicle after forcing it to stop: to hijack a load of whiskey.

  2. to rob (a vehicle) after forcing it to stop: They hijacked the truck before it entered the city.

  1. to seize (a vehicle) by force or threat of force.

  2. to skyjack.

verb (used without object)
  1. to engage in such stealing or seizing.

noun
  1. an act or instance of hijacking.

Origin of hijack

1
An Americanism dating back to 1920–25; back formation from hijacker

Other words from hijack

  • an·ti·hi·jack, adjective

Words that may be confused with hijack

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hijack in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hijack

hijack

highjack

/ (ˈhaɪˌdʒæk) /


verb
  1. (tr) to seize, divert, or appropriate (a vehicle or the goods it carries) while in transit: to hijack an aircraft

  2. to rob (a person or vehicle) by force: to hijack a traveller

  1. (esp in the US during Prohibition) to rob (a bootlegger or smuggler) of his illicit goods or to steal (illicit goods) in transit

noun
  1. the act or an instance of hijacking

Origin of hijack

1
C20: of unknown origin

Derived forms of hijack

  • hijacker or highjacker, noun

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