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

Likewise, auto thefts have dropped from 859 in early 2022 to 236 as of March, and carjackings from 23 to five. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 21 Apr. 2025

Hardy, along with several other teenage defendants, allegedly conspired to commit 33 carjackings between December 2022 and June 2023, according to the DOJ. —Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025

Schwab was allegedly in regular communication with some of the kidnappers in the days preceding the carjacking, according to officials. —Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025

No Oncor employees were injured during the carjacking, according to company spokesperson Roxana Rubio. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

car + (hi)jack + -ing entry 1

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carjacking

• attacking
• backpacking
• backtracking
• hijacking
• kayaking
• meatpacking
• ransacking
• repacking
• unpacking
• backing
• blacking
• clacking

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