What does skyjacked mean?
Skyjacked is the past tense and past participle of skyjack, meaning to seize control of an aircraft by force or threats. The word is most commonly used in reports of aviation security incidents, when an aircraft is taken over and forced to change its route or remain in flight. The expression can also be used more broadly and informally for unexpectedly taking control of another vehicle, broadcast, or public resource, although this extended sense is less frequent. The word carries a strongly sensational and illicit connotation, evoking danger, coercion, and dramatic disruption. It is useful in both literal reporting and figurative descriptions of a sudden, unauthorized takeover.
To take control of an aircraft by force or by threatening its occupants, usually to divert it from its intended destination.
"The flight was skyjacked over the Atlantic."
Most often used for the forced seizure of an aircraft; the word is common in news and aviation-security contexts.
Informally, to seize or take over something unexpectedly or by force.
"Activists skyjacked the radio broadcast to deliver a message."
This figurative or extended sense is informal and can be humorous or deliberately dramatic.
Skyjacking turns the sky from a route into a trap: the aircraft becomes a prison in the air.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skyjacked come from?
Skyjacked is formed from the verb skyjack, a compound of sky and jack. In this formation, jack contributes the sense of lifting, taking, or seizing, while sky specifies the setting of an aircraft. The compound became associated with the practice of forcibly taking control of aircraft during the twentieth century. Its historical relatives include ordinary sky-related words such as skylight and skyward, while jack belongs to a separate but older verbal family involving lifting or carrying.
Related word forms
How skyjacked is actually used
The verb is strongly associated with aviation and hijackings. Its extended informal use is less common than the literal sense and may sound dramatic or humorous depending on context.
Easily confused with skyjacked
Skyjack is the base verb and also the standard form for the action, while skyjacked is its past tense and past participle.