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

After nine days of tearful pleas for her sons’ safe return, Smith confessed that there had been no carjacking. —Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2024

Louisville Courier Journal Louisville Metro Police released body camera footage Tuesday of the officer shooting outside a Walmart near the Fairdale neighborhood after an armed carjacking attempt late last month. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 11 Sep. 2024

Texas officials are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of a suspect involved in the fatal carjacking of a 90-year-old veteran over the holiday weekend. —Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2024

The carjacking was reported about 11:40 a.m. in the 21000 block of Towncenter Plaza, in the Sterling area, according to the sheriff's office. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 29 July 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