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
No one in Florida had been charged with criminal mischief for defacing a traffic control device until the August arrests.
—
Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
But then on Christmas Day of that year, Roonstrasse was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
—Daniela R. P. Weiner, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
Another admonishes participants not to urinate in the street, start fights, block streets, climb on cars or deface property — all things that have been problems some years.
—Larry Neumeister, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deface
Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026
But then on Christmas Day of that year, Roonstrasse was defaced with antisemitic graffiti.
—Daniela R. P. Weiner, The Conversation, 17 Apr. 2026
Another admonishes participants not to urinate in the street, start fights, block streets, climb on cars or deface property — all things that have been problems some years.
—Larry Neumeister, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deface
Verb
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Elder’s sculpture was sitting outside of Bee Hive KC over Memorial Day Weekend when a man who was visibly angry allegedly began vandalizing the honeybee, according to Elder.—
Jenna Ebbers,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
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Ask the rabbi in San Diego whose synagogue has repeatedly been vandalized with antisemitic graffiti.—
Jonathan Greenblatt,
Sun Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Verb
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Additionally, a jury found Pasqual guilty of first-degree residential burglary and multiple counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiance's, boyfriend, girlfriend or child's parent.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
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Overnight into Tuesday, waves of drones and missiles struck the capital, killing and injuring civilians and damaging homes, businesses and public buildings.—
Polina Lytvynova,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
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But satellite images reviewed by CNN show how Iran has used simple equipment such as bulldozers and dump trucks to counter those costly campaigns — suggesting that Tehran’s missile capabilities can’t be destroyed just by targeting tunnel entrances, experts said.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Firefighters had to cut open the metal drop box to extinguish the fire, and numerous ballots inside were damaged, some charred beyond recognition.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Scientists theorize that exposing flowering tomato plants to temperatures below 50°F damages the flowers.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Two other properties were purchased in 2024, one of which was a barbershop that was demolished, and a third property was purchased in 2025.—
Delia Rose Sauer,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
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Before filing plans to demolish the building within the next two weeks, Kennedy planned Thursday night’s event to honor the structure.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
Verb
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But six years after NASA certified SpaceX to ferry crews to and from the ISS, Boeing’s Starliner still lacks approval for regular crew rotation flights after a 2024 test flight was marred by technical issues.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
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In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Our house, ruined by the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, was rebuilt from the foundation up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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Undefeated this season on clay, the 15th-seeded Ukrainian player reached the quarterfinals at the French Open for the first time on Sunday by taking out four-time champion Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 and ruining her birthday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The protest largely crippled the country’s center, with highways closed and public transportation halted by the massive crowds in both Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv metro area.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2026
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Anxiety over ChatGPT and other emerging technology helped derail talks with both unions and the AMPTP in 2023, leading to crippling dual strikes.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deface. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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