commandeer
verb
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Military forces have always had the power to commandeer houses. The Declaration of Independence complains about the way the British soldiers have done it, and the third Amendment to the Constitution states that the commandeering of people's houses shall be done only in a way prescribed by law. Almost anything—food, supplies, livestock, etc.—can be militarily commandeered when the need arises. But you don't have to be in the military for someone to "pull rank" on you: Your father may commandeer the car just when you were about to take it out for the evening, your teacher may commandeer your cell phone as you're texting in the middle of class, or your older sister may commandeer the TV remote to watch some lousy dancing competition.
Examples of commandeer in a Sentence
Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
The 72-mile path that the AT takes through Great Smoky Mountains National Park could have commandeered nearly three-quarters of this list, but that would be a copout.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 7 Apr. 2025
The politicians commandeer banks, rewrite regulations, and take control of procurement contracts.
—Elizabeth David-Barrett, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2025
Booker's grand gesture thrust him — and the Democratic Party — into the national spotlight, amassing hundreds of thousands of livestream views at a time when Trump's zone-flooding style has commandeered nearly every news cycle.
—Avery Lotz, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commandeer
Cite this Entry
“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commandeer. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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commandeer
verb
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