hijack
hijack Lexical Profile
hijack Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To unlawfully seize control of an aircraft, ship, or other vehicle in transit and force it to go to a different destination or use it for one's own purposes.
"Pirates attempted to hijack the cargo vessel as it navigated through the narrow shipping lane."
To take over a conversation, meeting, organization, or digital system and redirect it to serve one's own agenda without permission.
"A vocal member tried to hijack the committee meeting to complain about unrelated neighborhood issues."
• noun
An instance of unlawfully seizing control of a vehicle, aircraft, or ship while in transit, or taking over a system or event for one's own purposes.
"Security protocols at international airports were completely overhauled to prevent any potential hijack."
• Rhymes for hijack
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating in 1920s American slang during the Prohibition era, the term is widely believed to derive from the command "High, Jack!" used by highway robbers ordering bootleggers or truck drivers to raise their hands.