1
as in hijacked
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in seized
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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Recent Examples of commandeered
As their escape car was almost out of gas and one of the tires had been shot out, the robbers commandeered another car, but the driver took the keys with him.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 24 Dec. 2024
The wily Canuck was practically invisible for the first three weeks of the season, a victim of far flashier payers (cough, Rome, cough) that commandeered all the camera time.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
The company has since commandeered the AI boom, most famously through the release of ChatGPT.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
The rebels commandeered police headquarters and a number of military airports, along with several neighboring villages.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
That night, Jacquemus held an after-party on the Lady Adriana, a boat moored off the Capri coast, and on the shuttle bus to the docks and the speedboat bearing guests out to the vessel, a young fan in a sleeveless shirt commandeered the PA system to lead rabble-rousing cheers.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024
How Hackers Took Control of Robot Vacuums The incidents primarily involved Ecovacs robot vacuums, which hackers commandeered to deliver offensive messages in homes.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
In late June, a rogue police officer commandeered a government helicopter and attacked the Supreme Court with gunfire and grenades.
—Adriana Erthal Abdenur, Foreign Affairs, 9 Aug. 2017
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 24 Dec. 2024
The wily Canuck was practically invisible for the first three weeks of the season, a victim of far flashier payers (cough, Rome, cough) that commandeered all the camera time.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 Dec. 2024
The company has since commandeered the AI boom, most famously through the release of ChatGPT.
—Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
The rebels commandeered police headquarters and a number of military airports, along with several neighboring villages.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Dec. 2024
That night, Jacquemus held an after-party on the Lady Adriana, a boat moored off the Capri coast, and on the shuttle bus to the docks and the speedboat bearing guests out to the vessel, a young fan in a sleeveless shirt commandeered the PA system to lead rabble-rousing cheers.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 17 Oct. 2024
How Hackers Took Control of Robot Vacuums The incidents primarily involved Ecovacs robot vacuums, which hackers commandeered to deliver offensive messages in homes.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
In late June, a rogue police officer commandeered a government helicopter and attacked the Supreme Court with gunfire and grenades.
—Adriana Erthal Abdenur, Foreign Affairs, 9 Aug. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeered
Verb
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Before Hamas seized full control of Gaza in 2007, Christians would often place a large Christmas tree near a major square in Gaza City.—
Aaron Boxerman,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
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Adebayo did not force his offense, in a game where there was little for the Heat to have to counter in the middle, but then seized control with his scoring late.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The airport bomb squad also responded and confiscated the fireworks.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
23 Dec. 2024
-
Socks, however, are very scanner-friendly and are never confiscated.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Multiple officers grabbed Kerley and attempted to take him to the ground.—
Zach Powell,
The Athletic,
4 Jan. 2025
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On their way out the door, Kinch grabbed the pistol and placed it in the console of his truck.—
Joshua Kaplan,
ProPublica,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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That slides into the date previously occupied by Matt Reeves The Batman sequel, which is currently untitled.—
Pamela McClintock,
The Hollywood Reporter,
27 Dec. 2024
-
The century-old watchmaker stopped operations when the Soviets occupied East Germany post-WWII.—
Allen Farmelo,
Robb Report,
26 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Federal employees are eligible for retroactive pay once funding is appropriated, per the OPM, and those who were furloughed could also receive unemployment benefits.—
Avery Lotz,
Axios,
20 Dec. 2024
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Since 2022, by contrast, Congress has appropriated $112 billion to the Defense Department to assist Kyiv.—
Elaine McCusker,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near commandeered
Cite this Entry
“Commandeered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeered. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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