disfigure
verb
dis·fig·ure
dis-ˈfi-gyər 
especially British -ˈfi-gə
disfigured; disfiguring; disfigures
1
: to impair (as in beauty) by deep and persistent injuries
a face disfigured by smallpox
2
obsolete
: disguise
Examples of disfigure in a Sentence
His face was disfigured by a scar.
the statue was seriously disfigured by falling rubble during the earthquake
Recent Examples on the Web
Many patients who file lawsuits blame disfiguring injuries on what happened after their operations, such as office visits in which medical staff allegedly didn’t recognize, or dismissed, evidence of worsening surgical complications, court records show.
—
Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
His body had been subjected to disfiguring violence—not just beaten but run over repeatedly with his own car and partially burned—and many suspected a Mafia-style revenge killing.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Much of old Baghdad has been left to rot, its modernist heritage decaying, its leafy suburbs disfigured and gentrified.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Outdoor turkey frying fires and in-door kitchen stove fires can send residents to the emergency room with disfiguring injuries that often require skin grafting, said Patrick Duffy, burn surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disfigure
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Fred Schulte, Miami Herald, 30 Dec. 2025
His body had been subjected to disfiguring violence—not just beaten but run over repeatedly with his own car and partially burned—and many suspected a Mafia-style revenge killing.
—Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Much of old Baghdad has been left to rot, its modernist heritage decaying, its leafy suburbs disfigured and gentrified.
—Nabil Salih, Time, 4 Dec. 2025
Outdoor turkey frying fires and in-door kitchen stove fires can send residents to the emergency room with disfiguring injuries that often require skin grafting, said Patrick Duffy, burn surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for disfigure
Cite this Entry
“Disfigure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disfigure. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disfigure
verb
dis·fig·ure
dis-ˈfig-yər
especially British -ˈfig-ər
: to spoil the appearance of
disfigured by a scar
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