For ransom or political aims: The terrorists hijacked the plane. Dissidents who hijacked the town council;
Hijack (verb) hijack / ˈ haɪˌʤæk/ verb hijacks; To steal (cargo) from a truck or other vehicle after forcing it to. One day his truck was hijacked, probably by deserters, and he was wandering around and decided to go back to a village where he had met a young woman that he rather liked.
Hijacking britannica dictionary definition of hijack [+ object] 1 Check meanings, examples, usage tips, pronunciation, domains, related words. To seize (an airplane or other vehicle) by threat or by force, esp. To take control of (something) without permission or authorization and use it for one's own purposes:
Taken over without rightful authority. Hijack something to use violence or threats to take control of a vehicle, especially a plane, in order to force it to travel to a different place or to demand something from a government the plane. 'hijacked' means to take control of a vehicle, especially an aircraft, during a journey, especially using violence or threats. If you say that someone has hijacked something, you disapprove of the way in which they have taken control of it when they had no right to do so.
Spammers who hijacked a computer.