hijack

Etymology

Possibly from a blend of highway + jacker (“one who holds up”) (1915).

verb

1. To forcibly seize control of some vehicle in order to rob it or to reach a destination (especially an airplane, truck or a boat).
2. To seize control of some process or resource to achieve a purpose other than its originally intended one.
   hijack the radio show
3. (computing) To seize control of a networked computer by means of infecting it with a worm or other malware, thereby turning it into a zombie.
4. (computing) To change software settings without a user's knowledge so as to force that user to visit a certain web site.
   to hijack a browser
5. (politics) To introduce an amendment deleting the contents of a bill and inserting entirely new provisions.

noun

1. An instance of hijacking; the illegal seizure of a vehicle; a hijacking.
2. An instance of a seizure and redirection of a process.
3. (politics) An amendment which deletes the contents of a bill and inserts entirely new provisions.
4. (poker slang) Preflop, the position two before the dealer.
5. (obsolete) A highwayman, robber.
   One lone "high-jack" held up 11 harvest hands in a freight car … last night, making a clean getaway with slightly over $180. 1915-08-26, “Stick-Ups Get Good Hauls From Harvest Hands Near Yankton”, in Pierre Weekly Free Press, Pierre, SD, page 6