# hijack

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈhaɪ.dʒæk/ · frequency rank #25,089

## Definitions
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.
3. To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.

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

## Easily confused with
- **hijacked** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hijack-vs-hijacked)
- **hijacker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hijack-vs-hijacker)
- **hack** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hack-vs-hijack)
- **hick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hick-vs-hijack)
- **hijab** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/hijab-vs-hijack)

## Common misspellings (9)
`hhijack`, `hiajck`, `hijacck`, `hijackk`, `hijakc`, `hijcak`, `hijjack`, `hjiack`, `ihjack`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/hijack