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 felony law of destroying, defacing or removing materials intended to be used at a voting center now also includes acts against materials used for an election office, ballot counting area, ballot storage area, or election system.
—
Victor Hagan, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
The entire neighborhood of Bridle Path, a wealthy residential area outside of Toronto that Drake has written about living in for years, was defaced on Google Maps sometime this weekend.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 6 May 2024
In 2023, the exterior of iconic Canter’s Deli was defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024
The extreme one offered here frequently defaces it.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In 2021, vandals defaced prehistoric rock art at Big Bend National Park.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
There also have been others cases of vandalism on federal land across the West over the past decade, with visitors defacing petroglyphs, toppling rock features and pounding climbing bolts into centuries-old rock art.
—CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
This vote comes one day after a Jewish fraternity house at the University of Arizona released a statement about graffiti defacing a wall of the house.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
But hate speech coupled with another offense, such as defacing public property or harassment, is considered a hate crime.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024
Victor Hagan, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
The entire neighborhood of Bridle Path, a wealthy residential area outside of Toronto that Drake has written about living in for years, was defaced on Google Maps sometime this weekend.
—Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 6 May 2024
In 2023, the exterior of iconic Canter’s Deli was defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
—Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2024
The extreme one offered here frequently defaces it.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
In 2021, vandals defaced prehistoric rock art at Big Bend National Park.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
There also have been others cases of vandalism on federal land across the West over the past decade, with visitors defacing petroglyphs, toppling rock features and pounding climbing bolts into centuries-old rock art.
—CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024
This vote comes one day after a Jewish fraternity house at the University of Arizona released a statement about graffiti defacing a wall of the house.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
But hate speech coupled with another offense, such as defacing public property or harassment, is considered a hate crime.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deface.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deface
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deface. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
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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