English Reference

Word

hijacked

Phoneticshi·jacked

US/ˈhaɪˌdʒækt/

UK/hˈaɪdʒækt/

Definition

adj. describing something that has been taken over by force or without permission.

adj. refers to a vehicle, system, or conversation that has been seized or diverted from its original purpose. Often used as a participial adjective following a linking verb or preceding a noun.

Examples

“The hijacked plane landed safely at the airport.”

“The meeting was hijacked by a small group of people who only wanted to talk about their own problems.”

“Security experts warned that hijacked accounts were being used to spread misinformation across the network, making it difficult for users to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent posts.”

Examples

simple

“The hijacked plane landed safely at the airport.”

contextual

“The meeting was hijacked by a small group of people who only wanted to talk about their own problems.”

complex

“Security experts warned that hijacked accounts were being used to spread misinformation across the network, making it difficult for users to distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent posts.”

Usage

Typically functions as an adjective to describe the state of the object seized; when used as a verb form, it requires a direct object.

Pitfall

The plane was hijack by rebels.

The plane was hijacked by rebels.

Learners often forget the '-ed' ending when using the word as a passive verb or an adjective.

Real-World Examples

“And last week, it was revealed OpenAI agents had also hijacked a German website this spring and turned it into a message board for AI agents.”
The Guardian · 12 Sept 2026
“It was hijacked on August 17 in waters off the coast of the Nugal region of Puntland, a semi-autonomous federal state in northeastern Somalia.”
Al Jazeera · 30 Aug 2026

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/hijacked

English Reference