commandeer

verb

com·​man·​deer ˌkä-mən-ˈdir 

commandeered; commandeering; commandeers

transitive verb

1

a

: to compel to perform military service

Civilians were commandeered by the army and forced to fight.

b

: to seize for military purposes

The soldiers commandeered civilian vehicles to help transport the injured.

2

: to take arbitrary or forcible possession of

The city commandeered 60 acres of the property by eminent domain for a new high school.

Did you know?

Military forces have always had the power to commandeer houses. The Declaration of Independence complains about the way the British soldiers have done it, and the third Amendment to the Constitution states that the commandeering of people's houses shall be done only in a way prescribed by law. Almost anything—food, supplies, livestock, etc.—can be militarily commandeered when the need arises. But you don't have to be in the military for someone to "pull rank" on you: Your father may commandeer the car just when you were about to take it out for the evening, your teacher may commandeer your cell phone as you're texting in the middle of class, or your older sister may commandeer the TV remote to watch some lousy dancing competition.

Synonyms

• hijack
• highjack

Examples of commandeer in a Sentence

The soldiers commandeered civilian vehicles to help transport the injured.

an airliner commandeered by terrorists

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the past eight years, Trump has totally commandeered the Republican party and proposed a profusion of policies to constrain immigration through the southern border and to limit access to the ballot box, especially in urban centers where nonwhite citizens predominately reside. —Edward A. Wasserman, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2024

To better facilitate the unprecedented crowds, the festival has taken over large parts of the city, commandeered extra screens in the town’s multiplex and set up a 1,000m² space for MIFA’s new XR&Games Area. —Jamie Lang, Variety, 15 June 2024

Anxiety takes over Riley’s behavior by commandeering the control panel in the girl’s inner headquarters. —Armond White, National Review, 14 June 2024

Anthony Volpe commandeered that gig following LeMahieu’s injury and a poor audition from Gleyber Torres. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 27 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Afrikaans kommandeer, from French commander to command, from Old French comander

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

commandeer

verb

com·​man·​deer ˌkäm-ən-ˈdi(ə)r 

: to take possession of by force especially for military purposes