carjacking

noun

car·​jack·​ing ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ How to pronounce carjacking (audio)
: 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 transitive verb
carjacked; carjacking; carjacks
Several weeks after the shooting, a woman my age was carjacked there. Susan Straight
carjacker 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Packages were stolen from a FedEx truck after the driver was the victim of an armed carjacking Friday afternoon, according to Baltimore Police. Ellie Buckheit, Baltimore Sun, 14 Dec. 2024 May 28: Jerrett Dwain Gray Jr., 20, was a suspect in an armed carjacking when he was fatally shot while trying to flee police in the Cavalier Court apartment complex. Ryan Murphy, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Dec. 2024 In his guilty plea, Dewitt acknowledged committing a carjacking at gunpoint on March 1, 2021, taking the wheel of a 2011 Ford F-350 in Simpsonville and driving it into Louisville. Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 31 Oct. 2024 In November 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Brandon Jermaine Francisco with the 2022 carjacking that resulted in the death of Ella Goodie. Kyani Reid, NBC News, 27 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for carjacking 

Word History

Etymology

car + (hi)jack + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of carjacking was in 1991

Dictionary Entries Near carjacking

Cite this Entry

“Carjacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carjacking. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Legal Definition

carjacking

noun
car·​jack·​ing ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ How to pronounce carjacking (audio)
: theft by force or intimidation of an auto that has a driver or passenger present

More from Merriam-Webster on carjacking

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