What does hijacker mean?
A hijacker is someone who forcibly or illegally takes control of an aircraft, vehicle, or similar means of transport. The best-known sense is the person who seizes an airplane and uses threats or violence to control its journey. In broader and figurative uses, the word can describe anyone who unlawfully assumes control of a communication channel, event, or system, often disrupting something intended for other participants. The term usually suggests deliberate coercion, danger, and violation of the law rather than ordinary theft or unauthorized entry. It can be used in journalism, legal contexts, security discussions, and figurative descriptions of online or public communications. Because “hijack” also appears in the more general sense of forcibly taking over something, “hijacker” may refer to a person who interrupts a conversation, event, or broadcast as well as someone involved in transportation crime.
A person who illegally seizes and controls an aircraft, vehicle, or other means of transport, usually by force or threats.
"The hijacker released the passengers after security officers surrounded the aircraft."
This is the most common and most strongly established sense of the word.
A person who forcibly or unlawfully takes control of something, including a communication channel, event, or digital system.
"Critics described the disruptive speaker as a hijacker of the public discussion."
This broader and figurative use is common in media, technology, and political commentary.
The regular plural is used when referring to multiple people who hijack vehicles, communications, events, or other targets.
"The report described the hijackers as armed and highly trained."
A hijacker is a thief with a timetable: the word comes from the language of vehicles and travel.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hijacker come from?
The noun “hijacker” is formed from “hijack” by adding the agent suffix “-er,” meaning a person who performs the action. “Hijack” appeared in English in the early modern period, historically in the form “highjack”; the precise origin of that older form is uncertain. The word became especially associated with the unlawful seizure of aircraft during the 20th century, although its broader sense of taking or controlling something by force was established earlier.
Related word forms
How hijacker is actually used
The term is most strongly associated with the unlawful seizure of aircraft, but it can also be used figuratively for disruptive or unauthorized control of conversations, events, and digital systems. It is generally serious and carries a strong implication of coercion or illegality.