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

Now, Alameda County prosecutors claim Montiel is the man who shot and killed an Alameda resident on Dec. 30, a homicide that police say is directly connected to an earlier armed carjacking. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2025

According to crime data, there have been more than 450 carjackings this year. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2025

Curry is also serving a 13-year prison sentence for a separate carjacking. —Janelle Griffith, NBC news, 26 Mar. 2025

After that, a crash and another carjacking were reported near the 11800 block of Rosser Road in Dallas. —Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 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