hijack — hi·jack / hī ˌjak/ vt: to seize possession or control of (a vehicle) from another person by force or threat of force; specif: to seize possession or control of (an aircraft) esp. by forcing the pilot to divert the aircraft to another destination… … Law dictionary
hijack — UK US /ˈhaɪdʒæk/ verb [T] ► to take control of something, such as another person s plan, a system, or a meeting for your own advantage: »The association is annoyed that its campaign has been hijacked by pin striped PR men. ► IT to take control of … Financial and business terms
hijack — (v.) 1922, Amer.Eng., perhaps from high(way) + jacker one who holds up. Originally to rob (a bootlegger, smuggler, etc.) in transit; sense of seizing an aircraft in flight is 1968 (also in 1961 variant skyjack), extended 1970s to any form of… … Etymology dictionary
hijack — [v] seize control carjack, commandeer, kidnap, shanghai, skyjack, steal, take hostage; concepts 90,139 … New thesaurus
hijack — ► VERB 1) illegally seize control of (an aircraft, ship, etc.) while it is in transit. 2) take over (something) and use it for a different purpose. ► NOUN ▪ an instance of hijacking. DERIVATIVES hijacker noun. ORIGIN of unknown origin … English terms dictionary
hijack — ☆ hijack [hī′jak΄ ] vt. [< hobo slang for robbing sleeping men < HIGH + JACK: origin obscure] 1. to steal (goods in transit, a truck and its contents, etc.) by force 2. to steal such goods from (a person) by force 3. to cheat, swindle, etc … English World dictionary
hijack — 01. All airports now have metal detectors to make sure passengers are not carrying weapons which could be used to [hijack] a plane. 02. The school bus was [hijacked] by the father of a young boy in the school, and driven to the border. 03. Police … Grammatical examples in English
hijack — [[t]ha͟ɪʤæk[/t]] hijacks, hijacking, hijacked 1) VERB If someone hijacks a plane or other vehicle, they illegally take control of it by force while it is travelling from one place to another. [V n] Two men tried to hijack a plane on a flight from … English dictionary
hijack — I UK [ˈhaɪdʒæk] / US [ˈhaɪˌdʒæk] verb [transitive] Word forms hijack : present tense I/you/we/they hijack he/she/it hijacks present participle hijacking past tense hijacked past participle hijacked 1) to illegally take control of a vehicle,… … English dictionary
hijack — also highjack transitive verb Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1923 1. a. to steal by stopping a vehicle on the highway b. to commandeer (a flying airplane) especially by coercing the pilot at gunpoint c. to stop and steal from (a vehicle in… … New Collegiate Dictionary