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
In June, a Pilsen mural depicting solidarity with Palestinians and immigrants was defaced.
—
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
The Boston Police Department is investigating vandalism that occurred at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End, where a statue of the Virgin Mary was defaced with graffiti.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, noted that just a week earlier a synagogue in Victoria, British Columbia, had been defaced with antisemitic threats, underscoring that Jew-hatred has become a nationwide problem.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Lincoln County Schools took a smiliar position back in 2021 when racial slurs defaced school property.
—Evan Moore
august 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deface
Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
The Boston Police Department is investigating vandalism that occurred at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End, where a statue of the Virgin Mary was defaced with graffiti.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, noted that just a week earlier a synagogue in Victoria, British Columbia, had been defaced with antisemitic threats, underscoring that Jew-hatred has become a nationwide problem.
—Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Lincoln County Schools took a smiliar position back in 2021 when racial slurs defaced school property.
—Evan Moore
august 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deface
Verb
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The mural has been vandalized before, and already the Native man’s genitals were barely visible because someone had previously tried to obscure the paint.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, several masked people wearing dark clothing breached the fences and vandalized the building, according to officials and court documents.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The severity, healing and availability of Purdy’s toe will depend heavily on which toe is injured and what specific part of the toe got injured.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Almost certainly out this week also is injured receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder), who provided most of the scant glimmers of hope in the Super Bowl with eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Acosta allowed it, and IMG destroyed them.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
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Later, Howard calls Matt and agrees to cut the sequence but also threatens to destroy him.—
Carson Blackwelder,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Washing a couch or sofa, professional carpet and upholstery cleaner Ben Brazell says, is more precarious than carpet cleaning because the upholstery is often a lot more expensive and much easier to damage.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
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Private homes, farm buildings and power lines were damaged, Gusev said.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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If the city officially adds the structures to the dangerous buildings list, an inspector will issue orders to demolish them or repair them.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Boy Meets World — Savage’s comedy legacy has been marred by multiple misconduct allegations over the years.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Holes marred the walls in the kitchen under the dish machine, dry storage and dish storage rooms.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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Our family has been ruined by Denise's lies of promising to end a year-long affair.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tony and Ziva race to the scene, finding the place crippled by a power outage followed by a ransom request for 115 million Euros.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
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The last time active-duty military was sent to Chicago against the wishes of local officials was on July 4, 1894, according to the archives of the Chicago Tribune, when a labor dispute at a Pullman factory crippled the nation’s rail industry and resulted in days of rioting.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deface. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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