hijack

See also: hi-jack

English

Alternative forms

• hi-jack, highjack

Etymology

Possibly from a blend of highway +‎ jacker (“one who holds up”) (1915).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Verb

hijack (third-person singular simple present hijacks, present participle hijacking, simple past and past participle hijacked)

1. To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
2. To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.

   hijack the radio show

3. (computing) To seize control of a networked computer by means of infecting it with a worm or other malware, thereby turning it into a zombie.
4. (computing) To change software settings without a user's knowledge so as to force that user to visit a certain web site.

   to hijack a browser

5. (politics) To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• carjack
• hijackable
• lojack
• seajack
• skyjack

Translations

to seize control of a vehicle

• Arabic: خَطَفَ (ḵaṭafa)
• Azerbaijani: qaçırmaq (az)
• Bulgarian: отвличам (bg) (otvličam)
• Catalan: segrestar (ca) (plane)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 劫持 (zh) (jiéchí), 攔路搶劫／拦路抢劫 (lánlùqiǎngjié), 劫機／劫机 (zh) (jiéjī) (of aircraft)

• Czech: unést (cs) pf
• Danish: kapre (airplane)
• Dutch: kapen (nl)
• Esperanto: kaperi (eo)
• Estonian: kaaperdama
• Finnish: kaapata (fi)
• French: détourner (fr)
• Galician: secuestrar (gl)
• German: entführen (de), hijacken, überfallen (de), kapern (de), die Kontrolle an sich reißen über
• Greek: καταλαμβάνω (el) (katalamváno), απάγω (el) (apágo)
• Italian: dirottare (it)
• Japanese: 乗っ取る (ja) (のっとる, nottoru)
• Macedonian: при́граби (prígrabi), гра́бне (grábne), о́тима (ótima)
• Malay: rampas (ms)
• Maori: kāhaki, kāwhaki
• Norman: haïjatchi
• Polish: porywać / porwać
• Portuguese: sequestrar (pt)
• Russian: угоня́ть (ru) impf (ugonjátʹ), угна́ть (ru) pf (ugnátʹ), напада́ть (ru) impf (napadátʹ), напа́сть (ru) pf (napástʹ), захва́тывать (ru) impf (zaxvátyvatʹ), захвати́ть (ru) pf (zaxvatítʹ)
• Spanish: secuestrar (es)
• Swedish: kapa (sv)

to seize control of a process

• German: die Kontrolle an sich reißen über
• Maori: kā(w)haki
• Polish: zakłócać / zakłócić

computing: to seize control of a computer or browser

• Finnish: kaapata (fi)
• German: die Kontrolle übernehmen über, die Kontrolle an sich reißen über
• Swedish: kapa (sv)

Noun

hijack (plural hijacks)

1. An instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle; a hijacking.
2. An instance of a seizure and redirection of a process.
3. (politics) An amendment which deletes the contents of a bill and inserts entirely new provisions.
4. (poker slang) Preflop, the position two before the dealer.
5. (obsolete) A highwayman, robber.
   • 1915 August 26, “Stick-Ups Get Good Hauls From Harvest Hands Near Yankton”, in Pierre Weekly Free Press‎^[1], Pierre, SD, page 6:

     One lone "high-jack" held up 11 harvest hands in a freight car [...] last night, making a clean getaway with slightly over $180.

Translations

instance of hijacking of a vehicle

• Arabic: إِخْتِطَاف m (ʔiḵtiṭāf)
• Armenian: հափշտակում (hy) (hapʻštakum)
• Bulgarian: отвличане n (otvličane)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 劫持 (zh) (jiéchí), 劫機／劫机 (zh) (jiéjī)

• Czech: únos (cs) m
• Danish: kapring c
• Finnish: kaappaus (fi)
• French: détournement (fr) m
• German: Entführung (de) f, Überfall (de) m
• Greek: πειρατεία (el) f (peirateía), -πειρατεία f (-peirateía), (air piracy) αεροπειρατεία (el) f (aeropeirateía)
• Irish: fuadach m
• Japanese: 乗っ取り (ja) (のっとり, nottori), ハイジャック (ja) (haijakku)
• Macedonian: грабну́вање n (grabnúvanje)
• Norman: haïjaqu'thie f
• Norwegian: kapring m or f
• Russian: уго́н (ru) m (ugón), нападе́ние (ru) n (napadénije), захва́т (ru) m (zaxvát)
• Swedish: kapning (sv) c