commandeer
verb
Did you know?
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
Armond White, National Review, 9 May 2025
Officer Tietjen was stationed at the PATH station in Midtown and commandeered a taxi to reach the World Trade Center.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
Instead, Heller outsmarts him by secretly luring Schiller's ship into Finnish waters after tipping off the Finnish Navy and Interpol, who promptly commandeer the vessel and arrest him.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2025
Like the time Fawaz took some visitors from Kuwait to the training ground, commandeered one of the goalkeepers from a small-sided game with the first team and spent half an hour taking penalties at him.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 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 29 May. 2025.
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commandeer
verb
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