verb
commandeer
ko-muhn-DEER
verb
1
To seize property or people for military or official use, usually by force.
"The army commandeered every truck in the village during the retreat."
2
To take over or take control of something without permission, not necessarily by force.
"My little brother commandeered the TV remote the second I sat down."
How to Use Commandeer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo take something over by force or without asking, often for an urgent or official purpose.
Common pairings
commandeer a vehicle
commandeer supplies
Word Forms
commandeered past tense, commandeers singular
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The army _____ every truck in the village during the retreat.
Etymology
From Dutch commanderen ("to command"), reaching English partly through Afrikaans kommandeer during the Boer Wars in the late 1800s.