vandal

noun

van·​dal ˈvan-dᵊl 

1

Vandal : a member of a Germanic people who lived in the area south of the Baltic Sea between the Vistula and the Oder rivers, overran Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa in the fourth and fifth centuries a.d., and in 455 sacked Rome

2

: one who willfully or ignorantly destroys, damages, or defaces property belonging to another or to the public

vandal adjective

often Vandal

Vandalic

van-ˈda-lik 

adjective

Synonyms of vandal

• defacer
• destroyer

Examples of vandal in a Sentence

Vandals defaced the school's walls.

a group of vandals broke into the school and painted graffiti on the walls

Recent Examples on the Web

The loss ended Idaho’s program-record 18-game winning streak, and the Vandals (29-6) also finished with a program-best 29 wins following a Big Sky Tournament championship win last week over Montana State at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise. —Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 21 Mar. 2026

The pressurizing defense forced the Vandals into gnarly 29/20 percent shooting splits. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026

Vandals quickly stripped it bare, from its electrical wiring to its rooftop mechanicals, and loiterers congregating outside its doors and in its parking lot sometimes numbered in the dozens during a difficult post-pandemic downturn for the Midway. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 18 Mar. 2026

The city of Los Angeles is about to raise property tax bills because thieves and vandals won’t stop ransacking the city’s infrastructure to steal copper wire. —Susan Shelley, Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin Vandalī (plural) (Latin Vindilī, Vandiliī), probably borrowed from Germanic *wand-il-, noun derivative from a verbal base *wend- "wind, wrap, turn, move" (whence Old English windan "to twist, move with speed or force"), as in *auza-wandil-, perhaps, "dawn-wanderer," name of a star and mythological figure (whence Old Norse Aurvandill, Old English ēarendel) — more at wind entry 3

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for vandal

• candle
• handle
• sandal
• scandal
• panhandle

Kids Definition

vandal

noun

van·​dal ˈvan-dᵊl 

1

capitalized : a member of a Germanic people overrunning Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa in the fourth and fifth centuries a.d.

2

: a person who destroys or damages property on purpose

Etymology

from Latin Vandalii (plural) "The Vandals"; of Germanic origin

Word Origin

The Vandals were a Germanic people who originally lived in northern Europe. In the fourth and fifth centuries, however, other barbarian peoples, especially the Huns, forced the Vandals to migrate westward and southward through what are now the lands of France and Spain. They finally settled in northern Africa. But as they migrated, the Vandals did not just pass through an area. They destroyed many cities and towns. They probably were no worse than other barbarians, but they became widely known for destruction. This probably happened because they invaded and looted the city of Rome in 455. They destroyed or ruined much of what they could not take with them. The Vandals were later defeated by the Roman army but their bad reputation caused their name to be used for "a deliberately destructive person."

Legal Definition

vandal

noun

van·​dal ˈvand-ᵊl 

: a person who willfully destroys, damages, or defaces property belonging to another or to the public

Etymology

Vandal, member of a Germanic tribe who sacked Rome in a.d. 455