commandeer
verb
com·man·deer
| \ ˌkä-mən-ˈdir
\
\
commandeered;
commandeering;
commandeers
Definition of commandeer
1a
: to compel to perform military service
Civilians were commandeered by the army and forced to fight.
b
: to seize for military purposes
The soldiers commandeered civilian vehicles to help transport the injured.
2
: to take arbitrary or forcible possession of
The city commandeered 60 acres of the property by eminent domain for a new high school.
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Examples of commandeer in a Sentence
The soldiers commandeered civilian vehicles to help transport the injured.
an airliner commandeered by terrorists
Recent Examples on the Web
Iranian officials had threatened to seize a British ship in the Persian Gulf after U.K. forces last week commandeered an Iranian ship off the coast of Gibraltar. — David Hodari, WSJ, "OPEC Maintains World Oil Demand Forecast as Supply Concerns Continue," 11 July 2019 But in the intervening months, engineers from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) had implemented a new kind of security mechanism — a software system that couldn’t be commandeered. — Quanta Magazine, "Hacker-Proof Code Confirmed," 20 Sep. 2016 The Oakland Outlaws will commandeer The Athletic Club at 59 Grand Ave. — Erin Woo, The Mercury News, "Where to watch the Women’s World Cup finals in the Bay Area this Sunday," 5 July 2019 Previous presidents have commandeered the Lincoln Memorial, but none had ever done it the way Mr. Trump did on Thursday, packing the audience with supporters and assuming the role of master of ceremonies. — Michael D. Shear, New York Times, "With Flyovers and Flags, Trump Plays M.C. for the Fourth," 4 July 2019 When the film has a cop commandeer a person of color's car or an unlikely romance blossom way too quickly, the movie acknowledges such things directly to the audience (usually through a Nanjiani aside). — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "Stuber review: The world’s worst Uber ride becomes pure popcorn comedy," 12 July 2019 The vines are also able to commandeer humans, which then become hosts for their eggs, which in turn hatch Demodogs. — Amy Mackelden, Harper's BAZAAR, "Stranger Things 3 Features the Show's Worst Monster Yet," 4 July 2019 Desperate to save Sophie and her city, Kate commandeers Bruce Wayne's suit to become Batman. — Ineye Komonibo, Marie Claire, "The CW's 'Batwoman' Is the Latest Epic Addition to Its Superhero Lineup," 10 June 2019 Former New York Police Department Inspector Stephen Nasta criticized the department’s response, saying officers could have created a diversion or commandeered an armored car, bus or heavy construction equipment to reach O’Sullivan sooner. — Washington Post, "Father of slain California officer praises department," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commandeer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for commandeer
commandeer
verb
English Language Learners Definition of commandeer
formal
: to take (something, such as a vehicle or building) by force especially for military purposes
See the full definition for commandeer in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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