Highjacking

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act of unlawfully seizing control of a vehicle, aircraft, or vessel while in transit; forcibly taking control of a situation or system for personal gain or malicious intent; an illegal interception often involving threats or violence
2. Unlawful commandeering of transport such as planes or buses during operation; forceful takeover of a process, event, or system for wrongful use or advantage; criminally diverting control with coercion or force
3. Forcible seizure and control of moving transport vehicles typically by threat or violence; hostile capture of an event or operation for exploitation; the unauthorized diversion of control or management in progress

Etymology: Dictionaries treat "highjack" as the older spelling of "hijack," and the form you sent is the "-ing" form of that verb. The "high" in the spelling likely points to the old idea of holding up travellers on the highway, though the link is uncertain. The shorter spelling is now the standard one. The verb began as a slang term for robbing goods in transit, and its meaning shifted from stealing cargo to seizing the vehicle that carried it. That shift is why the same verb now covers commandeering a plane or bus and, figuratively, taking over a system or event for one's own ends.

Synonyms: hijacking, skyjacking, commandeering, seizing, piracy

Antonyms: releasing, returning, freeing, liberation