defaced; defacing; defaces
1
: to mar the appearance of : injure by effacing significant details
deface an inscription
2
: impair
3
obsolete
: destroy
defacer
noun
Examples of deface in a Sentence
The building was defaced with graffiti.
He was fined for defacing public property.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Utah resident also defaced an exhibit of a memorial to Black Civil War soldiers at the National Gallery of Art, prosecutors said.
—
Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
The fire comes after a string of reports across Italy in recent weeks of Tesla vehicles being vandalized and defaced, with anti-Elon Musk and anti-Donald Trump sentiments written with spray paint.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau and Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
Back in November, a similar situation took place in Japan when an American tourist was arrested for allegedly defacing the entrance to the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo's Shibuya ward.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
The latest targeting of Trump’s property comes less than a week after protesters took credit for defacing his Turnberry golf course in southwest Scotland.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deface
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Michael Loria, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025
The fire comes after a string of reports across Italy in recent weeks of Tesla vehicles being vandalized and defaced, with anti-Elon Musk and anti-Donald Trump sentiments written with spray paint.
—Barbie Latza Nadeau and Antonia Mortensen, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2025
Back in November, a similar situation took place in Japan when an American tourist was arrested for allegedly defacing the entrance to the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo's Shibuya ward.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 22 Mar. 2025
The latest targeting of Trump’s property comes less than a week after protesters took credit for defacing his Turnberry golf course in southwest Scotland.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deface
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deface. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
deface
transitive verb
de·face
di-ˈfās 
defaced; defacing
: to destroy or mar the face or surface of
defacement
noun
defacer
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share