Carjacking

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of unlawfully seizing a motor vehicle from its driver or passenger through intimidation or force
2. A crime that entails using threats or physical violence to steal a car from its owner
3. The criminal act of taking control of a vehicle from a person inside by using force or threats

Etymology: Carjacking is a blend of "car" and "hijacking," and the second half of that pairing is older and far more colorful. "Hijacking" originally described robbing someone on the road, and the "hi" in it is thought to come from the old cry "hi!" or "hey!" used to command a traveler to stop, so the word carries a whiff of highway banditry before it ever meant seizing an aircraft or a lorry. The blend itself is a plain piece of word-building. English speakers grabbed the familiar noun "car," which by then had become the ordinary name for the motor vehicle, and fused it onto "hijacking" to name a crime that combined taking a vehicle with the violence of a holdup. The result describes exactly what happens: a driver is forced out or threatened while the thief drives away in their car.

Synonyms: auto theft, vehicle theft