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

Drake was wanted in connection with three homicides in Oklahoma, stemming from two separate carjackings, according to Arkansas State Police. —Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 20 June 2024

Stacy Lee Drake, 50, of Birmingham, Ala. is wanted in connection with three homicides that stemmed from two separate carjackings, a news release from the state police said Wednesday morning. —Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 19 June 2024

According to Fremont police, officers were called around 9 a.m. to a parking lot in the 44000 block of Osgood Road, near Automall Parkway, for a report of a carjacking. —Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 16 June 2024

Based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics collected from 1995-2021, 59% of nonfatal carjackings involved a weapon and 38% of nonfatal carjackings involved an offender with a firearm. —Jade Thomas, The Indianapolis Star, 10 June 2024

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