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1. Definition + Rich Everyday Explanation
Hijack (verb / noun) = to illegally seize control of a vehicle, aircraft, or ship by force, or to take over something and redirect it for your own purposes.
“Hijack” originally described the criminal act of taking control of a plane, bus, truck, or ship — usually by threat or violence. When terrorists hijack an aircraft, they force it to go somewhere else or use it as leverage. This meaning remains serious and appears regularly in news coverage of security incidents.
However, the word has expanded into everyday metaphorical use, and this is where you’ll encounter it most often now. When someone “hijacks” a conversation, a meeting, or an event, they take it over and redirect it toward their own agenda. This usage is extremely common in workplaces, social situations, and media commentary. It suggests someone has seized control unfairly or selfishly.
You’ll hear people complain that someone “hijacked the meeting” by dominating discussion, or that a celebrity “hijacked the headlines” by creating drama. Politicians might accuse opponents of “hijacking” a debate or a cause. Social media has embraced this usage — hashtags get hijacked, threads get hijacked, and entire platforms can feel hijacked by particular groups or topics.
The word carries a sense of illegitimacy — when something is hijacked, it’s been taken over in a way that feels wrong or unfair to others.
Examples from the street:
- “He completely hijacked the meeting to talk about his own project” → he took over the discussion and made it all about himself
- “The plane was hijacked and forced to land in a different country” → criminals seized control of the aircraft
- “My evening got hijacked by a work emergency” → unexpected work problems took over my free time
2. Most Common Patterns
- hijack a plane / flight / aircraft → illegally seize control of an aircraft
- hijack a conversation / meeting / discussion → take over and redirect to your own agenda
- hijack the narrative / headlines / agenda → seize control of what people are talking about
- get hijacked (by something) → be taken over unexpectedly
- hijack attempt → an effort to seize control (successful or not)
3. Phrasal Verbs
Note: There are no common phrasal verbs directly containing “hijack” — these are related expressions used in similar contexts:
- take over → assume control of something
Example: “She completely took over the conversation and wouldn’t let anyone else speak.”
- butt in → interrupt rudely, insert yourself into something
Example: “He kept butting in while I was trying to explain my point.”
- muscle in (on something) → force your way into a situation or take control aggressively
Example: “The bigger company tried to muscle in on our market share.”
4. Example Sentences
- Armed men attempted to hijack the aircraft shortly after takeoff
→ Criminals with weapons tried to seize control of the plane just after it left the ground.
- She always hijacks the conversation and makes everything about her problems
→ She constantly takes over discussions and redirects them toward her own issues.
- Protesters accused the government of hijacking the narrative around the crisis
→ Demonstrators claimed officials had seized control of how the story was being told.
- The truck was hijacked on a remote highway and its cargo stolen
→ Criminals stopped the vehicle on a quiet road and took the goods it was carrying.
- My entire weekend got hijacked by a last-minute work deadline
→ An unexpected work task took over all my free time.
- Trolls tried to hijack the hashtag by flooding it with unrelated content
→ Online troublemakers attempted to take over the tag by posting irrelevant material.
- The celebrity’s scandal hijacked the headlines for an entire week
→ The famous person’s controversy dominated all the news coverage.
- Security measures were increased following the hijack attempt
→ Protection was strengthened after someone tried to seize control.
- Don’t let one difficult customer hijack your entire day
→ Don’t allow a single problematic person to take over and ruin your whole shift.
- The debate was hijacked by a few loud voices who wouldn’t let others contribute
→ A small number of dominant speakers seized control and excluded everyone else.
5. Personal Examples
- Group discussions can easily get hijacked by one or two confident students, so it’s important to create space for quieter voices
→ Stronger personalities often take over conversations, which means teachers must actively encourage less outspoken learners to participate.
- Don’t let fear of mistakes hijack your speaking practice — errors are part of learning
→ Don’t allow anxiety about getting things wrong to take control and stop you from practising.
6. Register: Neutral
✔ Native usage tips
- “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hijack the conversation” = what polite people say after realising they’ve been talking too much
- “This meeting got hijacked” = the universal complaint when discussions go completely off-track
- On social media: “Don’t hijack my thread” = stop posting your unrelated opinions under my post
- Dating context: “My friend hijacked my date” = they showed up and took all the attention
- 2025 mood: “My sleep schedule got hijacked by Netflix” = you stayed up way too late watching shows
✔ Similar expressions / words
- Commandeer → take control of something for official or urgent purposes; sounds more authoritative than hijack
- Seize → grab or take forcefully; more general, doesn’t carry the “redirection” meaning
- Derail → knock something off course; similar to hijack but focuses on disruption rather than taking control
