From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcommandeercom‧man‧deer /ˌkɒmənˈdɪə $ ˌkɑːmənˈdɪr/ verb [transitive] TAKE something FROM somebodyto take someone else’s property for your own use, especially during a war The local hotel was commandeered for the wounded.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
commandeer• Dafoe plays a computer mastermind who seeks revenge on his former employer by commandeering a luxury cruise ship.• The lawyers, we think, are in waiting to commandeer any dispute, worthy or not.• Cells that are introduced into young morulae to make a chimera sometimes become commandeered as germ-line cells.• Bud's truck had been commandeered by the regiment.• The officers had commandeered every house in the area.• The helicopters ferry workers to and from the Opa Locka Training Airport, which has been commandeered for the operation.• Two hijackers used fake explosives to commandeer the airliner.• A paramilitary group attempted to commandeer the bus and take it to Madrid.• The large coiled springs and unfamiliar machinery tempt one to try to commandeer the thing and ride it into another era.• An impatient mob broke down the doors, took possession of the station, and commandeered the trains without paying their fares.Origin commandeer (1800-1900) Afrikaans kommandeer, from French commander “to command”, from Old French comander; → COMMAND2 