1
as in hijacks
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in seizes
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 commandeers
In the middle of the stuffy reception, Jenny commandeers the A/V system, blasting punk rock while a squad of models, clad in her early-aughts emo designs, climb on tables.
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Matthew Huff, Vanity Fair, 22 Dec. 2025
When the State Department commandeers the West Virginia hotel to house Axis diplomats in the wake of Pearl Harbor, June realizes that nothing will ever be the same again.
—Audiofile Magazine
august 29, Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeers
Verb
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Robinson and his team at Stanford Medicine uncovered a particularly sneaky mechanism that EBV possesses, which essentially hijacks the body's defences to switch sides and mount an attack on the immune system.—
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Investigating viruses means investigating genes—since the way a virus hijacks a cell is by forcing it to replicate the viral genome in place of the host’s.—
Verb
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The slender but powerful book takes place over the course of a week, when Ma’s plans are suddenly imperiled while Boomba seizes the chance to make up for his past mistakes and help his family.—
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In the novel, Joan Goodwin, a physics professor with a lifelong love of the stars, seizes the chance to join NASA’s first class of women astronauts and soon finds friendship, passion, and purpose among her fellow trainees.—
Verb
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The children designated as Palestinians, meanwhile, have their drawings torn up and are relegated to small corners of the classroom while the teacher confiscates their candy.—
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Milwaukee Marshall High School confiscates a student’s phone until the end of the day for a first offense, requires a parent pickup after a second offense and issues an automatic suspension for repeat violations.—
Verb
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But as the ball arrives the defender grabs the jersey with the right hand and pulls the defender down.—
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As one officer grabs at her door handle, a third officer who had circled to the front of the SUV from the opposite side draws his gun.—
Verb
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Jokic usurps Nurkic Jusuf Nurkic became Jokic’s first backup center in unceremonious fashion, getting benched by Michael Malone 25 games into his third season.—
Verb
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Tadd Fujikawa, just shy of his 16th birthday, steals the show at the Sony Open.—
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Millions are unemployed as AI steals entry-level roles—and experts don’t see the dire situation improving, instead warning that the traditional college-to-office path is forever broken.—
Verb
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The property occupies a sizable 6,868-square-foot lot.—
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Hisense says cyan occupies a part of the spectrum where the human eye is especially sensitive, allowing the panel to render smoother gradients, more realistic tones and subtler transitions without oversaturation.—
Verb
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The lawsuit argues the freeze violated federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act and constitutional limits on executive power and how Congress appropriates funds.—
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The state appropriates funds for the voucher program at the beginning of the fiscal year and then seeks federal reimbursement.—
Cite this Entry
“Commandeers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeers. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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