1
as in to hijack
to take control of (a vehicle) by force
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
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2
as in to seize
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
commandeered all of the equipment, as if the chem lab belonged solely to him
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commandeer
Much as the first episode after November’s election started out overly earnest before its mid-cold-open rug-pull, this one barely let Miranda cough out one syllable before James Austin Johnson’s Trump commandeered the sketch, dragging it into a hilarious new direction.
—
Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2025
And there's longstanding Supreme Court precedents that say that the federal government cannot commandeer a state or local government to do the job of the federal government.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Bonta reaffirmed this in a joint statement with 10 other state attorneys general Thursday, writing that the federal government cannot commandeer states into forcing federal laws.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 24 Jan. 2025
Each of us commandeered one of the miniature half-controllers snapped off the main controller.
—Tom Brant, PCMAG, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Joe Berkowitz, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2025
And there's longstanding Supreme Court precedents that say that the federal government cannot commandeer a state or local government to do the job of the federal government.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 26 Jan. 2025
Bonta reaffirmed this in a joint statement with 10 other state attorneys general Thursday, writing that the federal government cannot commandeer states into forcing federal laws.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacramento Bee, 24 Jan. 2025
Each of us commandeered one of the miniature half-controllers snapped off the main controller.
—Tom Brant, PCMAG, 14 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commandeer
Verb
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Social media accounts are increasingly hijacked, sensitive financial data appears on the dark web and even family members’ details can be exploited for leverage.—
Chad Angle,
Forbes,
18 Feb. 2025
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Helly is mortified to learn that Helena hijacked her body and impersonated her.—
Matt Minton,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In a lightning three-week offensive, the M23 took control of eastern Congo's main city Goma and seized the second largest city, Bukavu.—
JANVIER BARHAHIGA AND MONIKA PRONCZUK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
arkansasonline.com,
28 Feb. 2025
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Late last year, a U.K. court ruled that police can seize more than 2.6 million pounds ($3.3 million) to cover years of unpaid taxes from the pair and freeze some of their accounts.—
STEPHEN McGRATH,
TIME,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This was when the government of Robert Mugabe confiscated land in Zimbabwe in a very aggressive way.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2025
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Their journey began more than a year ago when they were confiscated from smugglers at the Mexican border after being snatched from the wild, their mothers killed in the process.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The order usurps spending and legislative powers belonging exclusively to Congress, and seizes the States' historic police powers to regulate the practice of medicine in violation of the Tenth Amendment.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2025
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We are once again forced to remind everyone, including the GOP members of Congress who are apparently happy to stand by and watch their own authority be usurped and consolidated, that the president is not a king.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Six days later, the couple lured a man in his 50s to the hotel room to engage in prostitution with Lebron, but after the man handed over the cash and undressed, Lebron threw bleach in his face and the duo beat him for several hours before stealing his phone, wallet and car keys.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2025
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According to the Financial Times, the recent heist saw large amounts of Ethereum coins stolen from Bybit's cold wallets, which were believed to be more secure than hot wallets typically used for transactions.—
Tom Rogers,
Newsweek,
22 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Figuring out whether to do a conversion and precisely how much to convert in each future year is immensely complicated.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
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Here Meanwhile, a new regional piece of legislation is being drafted — and is up for approval this week — that would remove norms that currently prevent Rome movie theaters from being converted into any other type of business besides being a cultural space.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Then, almost missing the cue, Belushi stepped forward and grabbed the mic stand.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2025
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Brendan Coyle made five 3-pointers and grabbed six rebounds.—
Staff And Wire Reports,
Hartford Courant,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Delle had set the glass on the floor, and was now occupying her hands by picking at her inky black manicure.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
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Russia now occupies some 20% of Ukraine’s territory.—
Scott Peterson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
14 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to commandeer
Cite this Entry
“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commandeer. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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