graffiti

verb

graf·fi·ti | \ grə-ˈfē-(ˌ)tē

, gra-, grä-\

graffitied; graffitiing\ grə-ˈfē-(ˌ)tē-iŋ

, gra- , grä- \ also graffiting\ grə-ˈfē-tiŋ

, gra- , grä- \

Definition of graffiti

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to draw graffiti on : to deface with graffiti graffitied walls

graffiti

noun

Definition of graffiti (Entry 2 of 2)

: usually unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface

Is graffiti singular or plural?: Usage Guide More Example Sentences Learn More about graffiti

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Is graffiti singular or plural?: Usage Guide

Noun

Graffiti, which also serves as the plural of graffito, is commonly used as a singular mass noun. graffiti … was depressing people who rode the subways — New Yorker graffiti comes in various styles — S. K. Oberbeck This use is well established although not yet as well established as the mass-noun use of data. Use of graffiti as a singular count noun is still quite rare and is not standard.

Examples of graffiti in a Sentence

Noun

The walls of the old building are covered with graffiti.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Vandals used pink and white spray paint to graffiti a string of vehicles, buildings and businesses over the weekend, according to the Boise Police Department. — Christina Lords, idahostatesman, "Vandals cause thousands in damage by spray painting businesses, vehicles in Boise | Idaho Statesman," 2 Apr. 2018 But rather than go the traditional route of weighty heritage and spectacular yet static stones, the house has placed its mascot, Wladimir the cat, center stage (in a dedicated app, Vendorama) and tapped the artist Noé to graffiti the entryway. — Vogue, "Vendorama: Boucheron’s Anniversary Ode to the Place It Calls Home," 11 Jan. 2018 Mark MacKinnon | The Globe and Mail | Dec 2, 2016 | 63 minutes (15,996 words) MacKinnon tells the story of Naief Abazid, who graffitied a school wall on a lark at age 14. — Longreads, "Longreads Best of 2017: All of Our No. 1 Story Picks," 10 May 2017 The Montreal resident, who runs a power-washing business, is the founder of an initiative called Erasing Hate, where he is often called upon to remove hate symbols that have been graffitied onto public property, according to the CBC. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Canadian Town’s Swastika-Adorned Anchor Causes Anger and Confusion," 25 Aug. 2017 Police began investigating after a church parishioner reported finding the door kicked in and graffiti on three buildings. — Dan Corey, NBC News, "Air Force Members Painted Satanic Symbols on Historic Church, Police Say," 13 Oct. 2017 The new tagline was graffitied on one of the walls, and hip young guests were plied with Moscow Mules and Armani Exchange popcorn. — Sarah Spellings, The Cut, "Armani Exchange Celebrated a New Era by Creating a Club for a Night," 12 Oct. 2017 Also on display is a photo of a wall graffitied up by Andrew Witten, who went by Zephyr. — Will Higgins, Indianapolis Star, "Graffiti at the IMA: Spray paint's debut at fancy museum," 5 Oct. 2017 When a giant portrait of a fierce-looking owl, the emblem of Athens since ancient times, was itself graffitied, it was quickly cleaned up. — The Economist, "Chic Greek graffitiHow angry street art is making Athens hip," 30 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Early Sunday, crews removed charred skeletons of cars and worked to clean the graffiti from the Arc de Triomphe. — Matthew Dalton, WSJ, "Paris Rioting Puts Macron’s Economic Overhaul to the Test," 2 Dec. 2018 The graffiti was discovered before a morning awards ceremony for Glenelg graduating seniors. — Jess Nocera, Howard County Times, "Grand jury indicts teens accused of hate crimes at Glenelg High School," 13 July 2018 In addition to the Hitler graffiti, Hermann said the vandals poured several colors of paint across the rest of the bridge. — Jeff Rumage, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Sheriff's office urges vandal to #stayinschool after finding misspelled graffiti on a Grafton bike bridge," 15 June 2018 The gig allowed him to rent his first apartment, but his passion was still graffiti. — Alexandra Wolfe, WSJ, "Contemporary Art Star Brian Donnelly Mixes High and Low," 12 Oct. 2018 At the end, a rubberized clear coat is put down, which is a protectant from graffiti. — Rebecca Hazen, Houston Chronicle, "Hurricane Harvey mural in progress in Westchase District," 11 June 2018 Drones are all the rage today, in everything from experimental street graffiti to wildlife photography. — Geoff Manaugh, The Atlantic, "Drone Cops Take Flight in Los Angeles," 8 June 2018 The stories listed range from racist and transphobic graffiti at local schools to a Confederate flag hanging in a window across from the black cultural center at Oregon State University in Corvallis. — Lizzy Acker, OregonLive.com, "Looking back at reports of bias incidents in Oregon and southwest Washington since Trump's election," 19 Jan. 2018 When Baby enters the coffee shop, there's graffiti on the wall behind him featuring a black heart.... — Dana Schwartz, Marie Claire, "17 Easter Eggs You Probably Missed in 'Baby Driver'," 1 Aug. 2017

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