carjacking
noun
car·jack·ing
ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ 
: the theft of an automobile from its driver by force or intimidation
In the cities and suburbs, where muggings and carjackings are a daily concern, voters are wondering how many of the nation's 200 million guns are pointed at them.—
Richard Lacayo
Richard Lacayo… Congress made a show of getting tough on crime by making armed carjackings a federal crime.—Janet Novack
Janet Novack
carjack
transitive verb
carjacked; carjacking; carjacks
Several weeks after the shooting, a woman my age was carjacked there.
—Susan Straight
Susan Straight
carjacker
noun
plural carjackers
If you're confronted by a carjacker, be cooperative. The big picture: It's your car versus your life.
—Amy Lumet
Amy Lumet
Examples of carjacking in a Sentence
The police are investigating another carjacking.
Recent Examples on the Web
Baltimore County Police are investigating a carjacking that happened across the street from Towson Town Center on Saturday afternoon, the department announced Sunday.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2026
Snyder was also charged in a separate carjacking.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Reginald Cornelius Belton pleaded guilty in December 2025 to armed carjacking, use of a firearm, and first-degree assault, according to court officials.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Tyler Allen Gress, 33, was fatally shot by deputies after a chase that began with a carjacking in Citrus Heights and followed with a tense pursuit through northern Sacramento County, and onto Sacramento International Airport property before its end near a Natomas freeway offramp.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
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Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 26 Apr. 2026
Snyder was also charged in a separate carjacking.
—Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Reginald Cornelius Belton pleaded guilty in December 2025 to armed carjacking, use of a firearm, and first-degree assault, according to court officials.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Tyler Allen Gress, 33, was fatally shot by deputies after a chase that began with a carjacking in Citrus Heights and followed with a tense pursuit through northern Sacramento County, and onto Sacramento International Airport property before its end near a Natomas freeway offramp.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
Cite this Entry
“Carjacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carjacking. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
carjacking
noun
car·jack·ing
ˈkär-ˌja-kiŋ
: theft by force or intimidation of an auto that has a driver or passenger present
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