Meanings
present singular third person commandeers · participle present commandeering · participle past commandeered · past commandeered
- transitiveTo take arbitrarily or by force.
- broadlytransitiveTo take or use for some purpose (not necessarily arbitrarily or by force).
"We're stuck taking the bus to school tomorrow, aren't we?" "...Yeah. Moperville South doesn't give bus service out here, so Ellen's commandeering my car."
2007 February 5, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Monday, Feb 5, 2007
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincommendare
- Old Frenchcomander
- Frenchcommander
- Afrikaanskommandeer“to command”
- Dutchcommanderen“to command”
- Englishcommandeer
First attested in the late 19th century. From Dutch commanderen (“to command”), partially through its descendant, Afrikaans kommandeer (“to command”). Ultimately from French commander, from Old French comander, from Latin commendare. Doublet of command.
More words from Dutch, Afrikaans, French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian секвестирам, рекрутирам
- секвестирам (sekvestiram)to seize for military use
- рекрутирам (rekrutiram)to force into military service
- мобилизирам (mobiliziram)to force into military service
Catalan requisar
- requisarto seize for military use
French réquisitionner, enrôler de force
- réquisitionnerto seize for military use
- enrôler de forceto force into military service
German requirieren
- requirierento seize for military use
Italian requisire, sequestrare
- requisireto seize for military use
- sequestrareto seize for military use
- arruolareto force into military service
- coscrivereto force into military service
- reclutareto force into military service
- soggiogareto take arbitrarily or by force
- depredareto take arbitrarily or by force
- razziareto take arbitrarily or by force
Norwegian Bokmål rekvirere, rekvirere
- rekvirereto seize for military use
- rekvirereto take arbitrarily or by force
Portuguese requisição administrativa
- requisição administrativato seize for military use
Russian реквизировать
- реквизировать (rekvizirovatʹ)to seize for military use
Spanish requisar, reclutar
- requisarto seize for military use
- reclutarto force into military service
- usurparto take arbitrarily or by force
- arrebatarto take arbitrarily or by force
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with commandeer
Cite this entry
commandeer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commandeer
“commandeer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commandeer. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “commandeer,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commandeer.
Source: commandeer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.