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
At that point, assistant states’ attorneys were arguing that Talley’s past criminal history meant he should be held pending trial for a pair of April 2025 charges alleging armed robbery and carjacking.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
In the 12 months leading up to Elyjah’s death, Gaddis had been charged with carjacking, assault and domestic violence, according to court records.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Anyone with information on the armed carjacking is asked to call the Baltimore County Police Department at (410) 887-4636.
—Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026
In the 12 months leading up to Elyjah’s death, Gaddis had been charged with carjacking, assault and domestic violence, according to court records.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Anyone with information on the armed carjacking is asked to call the Baltimore County Police Department at (410) 887-4636.
—Drew Aunkst, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for carjacking
Cite this Entry
“Carjacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carjacking. Accessed 5 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
