1
as in to hijack
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
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2
as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
commandeered all of the equipment, as if the chem lab belonged solely to him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commandeer
Thou shalt feel free to commandeer any assembly or conversation to that end.
—
Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
And such fatal bargains are all over the work of the filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, who directed RoboCop and Starship Troopers, movies in which the bodies and souls of regular people are commandeered for the benefit of the powerful.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 21 June 2025
Donald Trump, without consulting with California’s law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state’s National Guard members to deploy on our streets.
Illegally, and for no reason.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Planning to open the 1,000-bed facility within days, state law enforcement officials commandeered the environmentally sensitive land, owned by Miami-Dade County, and began ushering in trucks carrying portable restrooms and industrial generators.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
And such fatal bargains are all over the work of the filmmaker Paul Verhoeven, who directed RoboCop and Starship Troopers, movies in which the bodies and souls of regular people are commandeered for the benefit of the powerful.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 21 June 2025
Donald Trump, without consulting with California’s law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state’s National Guard members to deploy on our streets.
Illegally, and for no reason.
—Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 11 June 2025
Planning to open the 1,000-bed facility within days, state law enforcement officials commandeered the environmentally sensitive land, owned by Miami-Dade County, and began ushering in trucks carrying portable restrooms and industrial generators.
—Ana Ceballos, Miami Herald, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeer
Verb
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Mom Denise Antoon reflects on Butler and Marino, the latter of whom several participants accuse of having tried to hijack the Lifetime series, in an emotional segment in the documentary.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
23 July 2025
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There’s no pretending otherwise: disgraced and deceased financier Jeffrey Epstein has hijacked Washington.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Marino revealed to This American Life that during the early days of filming the reality show, Butler approached him about selling large amounts of marijuana that had been seized in drug raids by Wielsch.—
Lynsey Eidell,
People.com,
22 July 2025
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Investigators noted that one of the devices that was seized could not be examined because it was encrypted, the warrant affidavit said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
22 July 2025
Verb
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From 2022 through 2024, law enforcement officials in California confiscated 139,017 guns used in crimes with identifiable serial numbers, according to the DOJ’s crime guns report.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
12 July 2025
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No charges have been pressed against Stone, but her family said her phone was confiscated.—
Joey Safchik,
NBC news,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people.—
Dan Gooding
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 July 2025
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Powell – a more effective version of the combo guard archetype that Rozier is classified under – seems poised to usurp the 10-year veteran on the Heat’s depth chart.—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Famous for alleging Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for Facebook, the twins donated 15.47 Bitcoin apiece, worth $1 million each at the time, to Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, citing issues with the Biden administration's approach toward cryptocurrency in a June 2024 post on X by Tyler Winklevoss.—
Thomas Gallagher,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Police are investigating after suitcases containing hard drives with unreleased Beyoncé music were stolen from her team’s rental car ahead of her tour stop in Atlanta.—
Jami Ganz,
New York Daily News,
15 July 2025
Verb
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And while consumer awareness is growing, education is still needed; overly complex terpene profiles can confuse rather than convert new buyers.—
Peter Su,
Rolling Stone,
15 July 2025
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Through these innovations, the Sierra Energy has demonstrated a comprehensive, closed-loop solution for converting waste into clean energy and reusable materials—paving the way for a more sustainable future in both transportation and energy production.—
David Blekhman,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
Verb
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Leave your troubles behind and grab a lime, because Thursday is National Tequila Day.—
Ana Gutierrez,
Austin American Statesman,
25 July 2025
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Concerned, the roommates grabbed golf clubs from one of the first-floor bedrooms and checked the house for a possible intruder.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
24 July 2025
Verb
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Though the seat had been occupied by Republicans for 50 years, Mary eked ahead of former Republican Gov. Sarah Palin and GOP businessman Nick Begich III to flip the House seat blue and become the first-ever Alaska Native elected to Congress.—
Rachel Raposas,
People.com,
23 July 2025
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The reality is only slightly more mundane: It was previously occupied by the manager of a pop superstar and a DJ/producer who recently closed a mid-eight-figure deal for his music catalog and label.—
Todd Longwell,
Variety,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeer. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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