carjacking

noun

car·​jack·​ing ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ 

: the theft of an automobile from its driver by force or intimidation

In the cities and suburbs, where muggings and carjackings are a daily concern, voters are wondering how many of the nation's 200 million guns are pointed at them.

—Richard Lacayo

… Congress made a show of getting tough on crime by making armed carjackings a federal crime.

—Janet Novack

carjack

ˈkär-ˌjak 

transitive verb

carjacked; carjacking; carjacks

Several weeks after the shooting, a woman my age was carjacked there.

—Susan Straight

carjacker

ˈkär-ˌja-kər 

noun

plural carjackers

If you're confronted by a carjacker, be cooperative. The big picture: It's your car versus your life.

—Amy Lumet

Examples of carjacking in a Sentence

The police are investigating another carjacking.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Mayor touted work last year, including a historic reduction in homicides, as well as declines in non-fatal shootings, carjacking and auto thefts, the high number of guns seized, and the improved homicide clearance rate. —Alexa Ashwell, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2025

The West Side does not need to be known for unemployment, carjackings and shootings. —Ike Muzikowski, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025

As a result, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) recorded a 32 percent decrease in homicides; a 39 percent drop in robberies; armed carjackings are down 53 percent; assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27 percent when compared with 2023 levels. —Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 4 Jan. 2025

The violence that bedeviled New Orleans in the first years of the pandemic has receded substantially, with major drops in the number of homicides, carjackings and armed robberies. —Rick Rojas, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

car + (hi)jack + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

carjacking

noun

car·​jack·​ing ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ 

: theft by force or intimidation of an auto that has a driver or passenger present