hijack

See also: hi-jack

English

Possibly from a blend of highway +‎ jacker (“one who holds up”)[1] (1915).

hijack (third-person singular simple present hijacks, present participle hijacking, simple past and past participle hijacked)

To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.
hijack the radio show
(computing) To seize control of a networked computer by means of infecting it with a worm or other malware, thereby turning it into a zombie.
(computing) To change software settings without a user's knowledge so as to force that user to visit a certain web site.
to hijack a browser
(politics) To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.

to seize control of a vehicle

Arabic: خَطَفَ‎ (ḵaṭafa)
Azerbaijani: qaçırmaq (az)
Bulgarian: отвличам (bg) (otvličam)
Catalan: segrestar (ca) (plane)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 劫持 (zh) (jiéchí), 攔路搶劫／拦路抢劫 (lánlùqiǎngjié), 劫機／劫机 (zh) (jiéjī)
Czech: unést (cs) pf
Danish: kapre (airplane)
Dutch: kapen (nl)
Esperanto: kaperi (eo)
Estonian: kaaperdama
Finnish: kaapata (fi)
French: détourner (fr)
Galician: secuestrar (gl)
German: entführen (de), hijacken, überfallen (de)
Greek: καταλαμβάνω (el) (katalamváno), απάγω (el) (apágo)
Italian: dirottare (it)
Japanese: 乗っ取る (のっとる, nottoru)
Maori: kāhaki, kāwhaki
Norman: haïjatchi
Polish: porywać / porwać
Portuguese: sequestrar (pt)
Russian: угоня́ть (ru) impf (ugonjátʹ), угна́ть (ru) pf (ugnátʹ), напада́ть (ru) impf (napadátʹ), напа́сть (ru) pf (napástʹ), захва́тывать (ru) impf (zaxvátyvatʹ), захвати́ть (ru) pf (zaxvatítʹ)
Spanish: secuestrar (es)
Swedish: kapa (sv)

to seize control of a process

computing: to seize control of a computer or browser

hijack (plural hijacks)

An instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle; a hijacking.
An instance of a seizure and redirection of a process.
(politics) An amendment which deletes the contents of a bill and inserts entirely new provisions.
(poker slang) Preflop, the position two before the dealer.
(obsolete) A highwayman, robber.
- 1915 August 26, “Stick-Ups Get Good Hauls From Harvest Hands Near Yankton”, in Pierre Weekly Free Press‎, Pierre, SD, page 6:
  One lone "high-jack" held up 11 harvest hands in a freight car [...] last night, making a clean getaway with slightly over $180.

instance of hijacking of a vehicle

Arabic: إِخْتِطَاف‎ m (ʾiḵtiṭāf)
Armenian: հափշտակում (hy) (hapʿštakum)
Bulgarian: отвличане n (otvličane)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 劫持 (zh) (jiéchí), 劫機／劫机 (zh) (jiéjī)
Czech: únos (cs) m
Danish: kapring c
Finnish: kaappaus (fi)
French: détournement (fr) m
German: Entführung (de) f, Überfall (de) m
Greek: πειρατεία (el) f (peirateía), -πειρατεία f (-peirateía), (air piracy) αεροπειρατεία (el) f (aeropeirateía)
Irish: fuadach m
Japanese: 乗っ取り (のっとり, nottori), ハイジャック (ja) (haijakku)
Norman: haïjaqu'thie f
Norwegian: kapring m or f
Russian: уго́н (ru) m (ugón), нападе́ние (ru) n (napadénije), захва́т (ru) m (zaxvát)
Swedish: kapning (sv) c