Definition of DESECRATION

Examples of desecration in a Sentence

the communicants were aghast at the desecration of the altar

Recent Examples on the Web To them, removing it from a spot in the middle of the fort the men died defending would be a desecration, and a slap in the face to Coppini, who insisted on having it there. — Scott Huddleston, ExpressNews.com, "Demonstrators warn they will use force to stop Alamo Cenotaph move," 27 Dec. 2019 Possible charges could include criminal mischief, dangerous burning and desecration of a flag, said Cara Cruz, assistant public information officer with the department. — Mirna Alsharif, CNN, "Pittsburgh police investigate after American flags are destroyed at war memorial," 24 Oct. 2019 But the relative lull in violence was broken with the detention and racial abuse of 43 Papuan students in Surabaya for alleged desecration of Indonesia’s national flag during the independence day. — Arys Aditya, Bloomberg.com, "At Least 26 Killed as Indonesia’s Papua Rocked by Violence," 23 Sep. 2019 Ajayi was charged last month with aggravated murder, desecration of a human body, aggravated kidnapping and obstruction of justice in connection with Lueck’s slaying. — Los Angeles Times, "Mackenzie Lueck’s suspected killer also facing child porn charges," 14 Aug. 2019 At Monday’s court hearing, Smith entered a plea of not guilty to the new counts, which include homicide, evidence tampering and desecration of a corpse, through his attorney, public defender Dan Lowery. — Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, "Victim’s family members and activists pack court hearing of man accused of killing two Alaska Native women," 22 Oct. 2019 The crime—a glaring perversion and desecration of Presidential power—and the coverup, both handed neatly to Congress. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "The Whistle-Blower’s Complaint Is Devastating for Donald Trump," 26 Sep. 2019 Salt Lake City police chief Mike Brown said Ayoola A. Ajayi will be charged with aggravated murder, kidnaping and desecration of a body in the death of 23-year-old Mackenzie Lueck. — Lindsay Whitehurst, chicagotribune.com, "Missing Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck was killed, man arrested, police say," 28 June 2019 Of course, in that notorious case, the movie turned out to be just a modestly amusing family flick — and nowhere near as dire a desecration as its pre-viewers suggested. — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, "Everybody had an opinion about ‘The Hunt’ before anybody saw it. That’s a problem.," 15 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'desecration.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

8 Jan 2020

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“Desecration.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desecration. Accessed 21 January 2020.