defaced; defacing; defaces
1
: to mar the appearance of : injure by effacing significant details
deface an inscription
2
: impair
3
obsolete
: destroy
defacer
noun
Examples of deface in a Sentence
The building was defaced with graffiti.
He was fined for defacing public property.
Recent Examples on the Web
The protests stretched beyond India’s borders, too, with London’s Asia House controversially canceling an exhibition of Husain’s work in 2006, citing security concerns, after Hindu groups demanded its closure and vandals defaced two of his paintings.
—
Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Harrison Grant Randall, 39, was charged earlier this year with six counts of defacing property after Brookline Police posted a video of a suspect riding his bike — and the public helped ID him.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the people defacing Friend’s advertisements are expressing a much larger, inchoate rage at the broader AI industry, not just these plastic pendants that practically nobody owns.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2025
Cipriani’s breaking point came Hanson had Hanks deface Cipriani’s mother’s grave.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deface
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Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2025
Harrison Grant Randall, 39, was charged earlier this year with six counts of defacing property after Brookline Police posted a video of a suspect riding his bike — and the public helped ID him.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, the people defacing Friend’s advertisements are expressing a much larger, inchoate rage at the broader AI industry, not just these plastic pendants that practically nobody owns.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2025
Cipriani’s breaking point came Hanson had Hanks deface Cipriani’s mother’s grave.
—Barry Levitt, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deface
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deface. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
deface
transitive verb
de·face
di-ˈfās 
defaced; defacing
: to destroy or mar the face or surface of
defacement
noun
defacer
noun
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