Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To seize for military or police use; confiscate.
- transitive verb To take arbitrarily or by force: synonym: appropriate.
- transitive verb To force into military service.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To order (the enrolled militia) into active military service: originally with reference to the late Dutch republics of South Africa, which were charged with forcing aliens also into the military service.
- To seize private property for military or other public use.
- To seize public or private property for private use, under color of military necessity or right; steal from a helpless victim.
- noun The act of commandeering.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb (Mil.) To compel to perform military service; to seize for military purposes; -- orig. used of the Boers.
- transitive verb colloq. To take arbitrary or forcible possession of.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To
seize formilitary use . - verb To
force into militaryservice . - verb To take
arbitrarily or byforce .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb take arbitrarily or by force
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word commandeer.
Examples
-
But neither can the federal government force California to keep similar drug laws on its own books, nor to "commandeer" state agencies to enforce federal drug laws.
David Borden: What's Up With Liberals Against Marijuana Legalization? David Borden 2010
-
But neither can the federal government force California to keep similar drug laws on its own books, nor to "commandeer" state agencies to enforce federal drug laws.
David Borden: What's Up With Liberals Against Marijuana Legalization? David Borden 2010
-
In February, the Achenbaums sued Credit Suisse's Column Financial unit for wrongful termination in Miami-Dade County circuit court, alleging among other things that Column took steps to "commandeer" the hotel, replacing them with a hotel operator whose inexperience will "inevitably result in inferior services."
Keeping Chic in a Miami Storm Laura Landro 2010
-
In February, the Achenbaums sued Credit Suisse's Column Financial unit for wrongful termination in Miami-Dade County circuit court, alleging among other things that Column took steps to "commandeer" the hotel, replacing them with a hotel operator whose inexperience will "inevitably result in inferior services."
Keeping Chic in a Miami Storm Laura Landro 2010
-
But neither can the federal government force California to keep similar drug laws on its own books, nor to "commandeer" state agencies to enforce federal drug laws.
David Borden: What's Up With Liberals Against Marijuana Legalization? David Borden 2010
-
In February, the Achenbaums sued Credit Suisse's Column Financial unit for wrongful termination in Miami-Dade County circuit court, alleging among other things that Column took steps to "commandeer" the hotel, replacing them with a hotel operator whose inexperience will "inevitably result in inferior services."
Keeping Chic in a Miami Storm Laura Landro 2010
-
But neither can the federal government force California to keep similar drug laws on its own books, nor to "commandeer" state agencies to enforce federal drug laws.
David Borden: What's Up With Liberals Against Marijuana Legalization? David Borden 2010
-
So, can local governments "commandeer" the time of private citizens for jury duty?
Archive 2007-07-01 2007
-
So, can local governments "commandeer" the time of private citizens for jury duty?
-
Once he reached the manor, he would see Mero, and "commandeer" him to replace his sick servant.
The Elvenbane Lackey, Mercedes 1991
anydelirium commented on the word commandeer
'(The form for commandeering a genuine NYC garbage truck MAY be 34 pages long, but one day I will think of a reason to fill it out, I swear to you.)' -the book Peeps, by Scott Westerfield
February 18, 2008
anydelirium commented on the word commandeer
Will Turner: We're going to steal a ship? That ship?
Jack Sparrow: "Commandeer." We're going to commandeer that ship. Nautical term.
-the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest
February 18, 2008