1
as in to vandalize
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property
the principal vowed to get the punks who defaced the statue in front of the school
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deface
This exclusion protects the home warranty company from homeowners who may try to get replacements for appliances or home system components by defacing or damaging them purposefully.
—
Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2026
Denilson Pires was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and defacing a firearm serial number.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Splatters of paint now dot the mural of Iryna Zarutska, the slain Ukrainian refugee, after an unknown vandal defaced the building at the corner of North Western and West Montrose avenues.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deface
Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 2026
Denilson Pires was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and defacing a firearm serial number.
—Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026
Splatters of paint now dot the mural of Iryna Zarutska, the slain Ukrainian refugee, after an unknown vandal defaced the building at the corner of North Western and West Montrose avenues.
—Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deface
Verb
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Pineda says the cameras have been vandalized, covered with tape, spray paint and even clothing.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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The charges include felony counts of making criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon involving a motor vehicle on March 19, and vandalizing Buckingham’s Mercedes-Benz S450 the same day.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When a Lake Dallas home exploded last month, critically injuring a woman inside, investigators said natural gas from a leaking pipe fueled the blast.—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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There have also been calls when people have been injured from an accident with a horse and the animal is not secured.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, corruption or physical damage might destroy a file’s header, which contains its identifying metadata, while leaving other parts of it untouched.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Jeep crashed into a concrete barrier after clipping the other car, destroying part of the barrier, Adams County Fire Rescue officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Washington’s version of McCall is disciplined but damaged, and possibly afflicted with something like obsessive-compulsive disorder.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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In fact, Gerrod Moore, a brand manager of Maytag advises against uninformed stainless steel cleaning experimentation, because some kitchen cleaning go-to's like bleach, glass cleaner, abrasive cleaners, and steel wool may damage the metal.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gil Rivera, director of building, economic and community development, said Target has already submitted permits to demolish the current structure.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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The hotel building is expected to be demolished within the next month.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But her career has been marred by high-profile incidents — including being photographed in 2007 with a freshly shaven head hitting a car with an umbrella.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
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Sunday’s vote was marred by delays in distributing electoral materials in several districts of Lima, forcing authorities to extend voting into Monday.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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These tenacious insects discreetly land on your skin, leaving sudden, itchy, and painful bites that can swell and turn red, ruining a perfectly pleasant outdoor evening.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
18 Apr. 2026
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Who knew that an attempt to ruin Iran’s navy and army would result in the demilitarization of the West?—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s left them vulnerable to a crisis that could crash the AI boom, destroy the S&P 500, and cripple the US economy.—
Andy Browne,
semafor.com,
14 Apr. 2026
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The demolition of Golden Hall would cripple the central plant and sever the connection between the plant and the other buildings, according to the implementation report and preliminary work done by engineering consultancy WSP.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deface. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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