What does highjacker mean?
A highjacker is someone who forcibly takes control of an aircraft, usually by threatening or coercing its crew and passengers. The word is strongly associated with aviation and with historical cases of aircraft commandeering, although it can also be used more broadly for a person who hijacks a vehicle or other form of transport. It has a threatening and potentially sensational tone and is therefore more common in news reports, historical accounts, and works of fiction than in ordinary discussion. Although “highjacker” is still understood, “hijacker,” with a single l, is the standard modern spelling in both British and American English. The term should be reserved for an actual unlawful commandeering, rather than used loosely for an ordinary disruptive passenger.
nounA person who forcibly takes control of an aircraft, usually threatening the crew or passengers. The term can also refer more broadly to someone who commandeers a vehicle or transport.
- A person who forcibly takes control of an aircraft, threatening its crew or passengers.
- More broadly, a person who seizes or commandeers a vehicle or means of transport.
"The highjacker released the passengers after police surrounded the aircraft."
"Security officers followed the highjacker to an abandoned warehouse."
"The novel portrays the highjacker as a desperate man who sees the aircraft as his last opportunity."
The usual plural; “hijackers” is the standard modern alternative spelling.
"Police warned that the highjackers were still at large."
From the sky to the ground: “highjacker” originally evoked someone commandeering an aircraft, turning the flight itself into the scene of the crime.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does highjacker come from?
The word developed from the verb “highjack,” now usually spelled “hijack.” “Hijack” is thought to derive from an earlier sense of “hijack” meaning to commandeer a ship, with its precise historical origin uncertain; the form “highjack” was also influenced by the verb “jack.” The resulting agent noun “highjacker” became particularly prominent in the early 20th century as aircraft commandeering became internationally notorious.
Related word forms
How highjacker is actually used
The standard spelling is now usually “hijacker,” with the single l. “Highjacker” remains familiar in older writing and in British English, but it can sound dated when discussing contemporary aviation security.
Easily confused with highjacker
“Hijacker” is the standard modern spelling, whereas “highjacker” is a less common variant retained especially in older and British usage.