commandeer
verb
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Military forces have always had the power to commandeer houses. The Declaration of Independence complains about the way the British soldiers have done it, and the third Amendment to the Constitution states that the commandeering of people's houses shall be done only in a way prescribed by law. Almost anything—food, supplies, livestock, etc.—can be militarily commandeered when the need arises. But you don't have to be in the military for someone to "pull rank" on you: Your father may commandeer the car just when you were about to take it out for the evening, your teacher may commandeer your cell phone as you're texting in the middle of class, or your older sister may commandeer the TV remote to watch some lousy dancing competition.
Examples of commandeer in a Sentence
Mayu Saini, WWD, 3 Nov. 2024
The plot centers on thousands of impoverished Indian farmers who commandeer a fleet and sail, dirty, uncivilized and desperate, to France, where a small resistance is all that stands in the way from their overrunning the country.
—Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024
Domestic production offers an additional assurance because such manufacturers can be commandeered under the 1950 Defense Production Act to supply items in a time of war.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
People, surely from out of town, are walking like a chorus line, commandeering the entire sidewalk, forcing me to weave around and step onto the street to pass.
—Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Commandeer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commandeer. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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commandeer
verb
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