graffiti

verb graf·fi·ti \ grə-ˈfē-(ˌ)tē , gra- , grä- \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Usage guide: Is graffiti singular or plural?

Examples: graffiti in a Sentence

Definition of graffiti

graffitied; graffitiing play \grə-ˈfē-(ˌ)tē-iŋ, gra-, grä-\ also graffiting play \grə-ˈfē-tiŋ, gra-, grä-\

transitive verb

: to draw graffiti on : to deface with graffiti

graffitied walls

Recent Examples of graffiti from the Web

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

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.

Origin and Etymology of graffiti

see ²graffiti

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1964

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

graffiti

noun

Definition of graffiti

: usually unauthorized writing or drawing on a public surface

See graffiti defined for English-language learners

See graffiti defined for kids

Is graffiti singular or plural?

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.