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At one point in Frodo’s journey in The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien depicts an ancient statue overlooking a crossroads: “Its head was gone, and in its place was set in mockery a round rough-hewn stone, rudely painted … in the likeness of a grinning face with one large red eye in the midst of its forehead.” The statue had been vandalized by orcs, but the roots of vandalize have more in common with the name of a Tolkien hero. Vandalize comes from the noun vandal, which was originally capitalized and referred to a member of a Germanic people who lived south of the Baltic Sea and sacked Rome in the year 455 CE. This sacking is what likely led to the use of the lower-case vandal for someone who damages or destroys property. The Late Latin word for such a Vandal was Vandalī, a word probably borrowed from a Germanic verb meaning “wend, turn” that also gave rise to the Old English Ēarendel, the name of a mythological figure that inspired Tolkien’s creation of Eärendil, a mariner who wends his way across the sky of Middle Earth carrying the morning star.
Examples of vandalize in a Sentence
Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Siegel started the nonprofit five years ago after a synagogue in her hometown Los Angeles was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Jan. 2026
Gravesend Park vandalized twice in 36 hours On Monday evening, police say about 16 swastikas were found painted in the playground area of Gravesend Park, located at 56th Street and 18th Avenue.
—Naomi Ruchim, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The remains of a synagogue in southern California destroyed in last January’s Eaton wildfire were vandalized recently with anti-Zionist messages.
—Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalize
Cite this Entry
“Vandalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vandalize. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vandalize
verb
Legal Definition
vandalize
transitive verb
