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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deface
Someone who should not stumble into this, who should not have to see the grave of her loved one defaced.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Vandals defaced a boulder and other sites at Yosemite National Park with graffiti over the weekend.
—Stephen Sorace , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Anyone convicted of defacing certain sensitive surfaces, such as petroglyphs or rock art, faces steeper penalties.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deface
Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Vandals defaced a boulder and other sites at Yosemite National Park with graffiti over the weekend.
—Stephen Sorace , Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Anyone convicted of defacing certain sensitive surfaces, such as petroglyphs or rock art, faces steeper penalties.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for deface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deface
Verb
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The assailants, some armed, also vandalized security cameras and a guard shack and slashed the tires of vehicles in the parking lot, authorities said.—
Kevin Krause,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Shortly after the photos were posted for sale, a memorial at the site to those killed was vandalized, with plaques listing their names smashed.—
Elena Becatoros,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In December, another snowmobiler was badly injured in an avalanche at Latopie Lake in Mono County, and was airlifted for emergency services in Reno.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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The three people injured were grandparents Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend Thomas Geruso, Goncalves said.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Shipwreck hunters have been searching the lakes with more urgency in recent years out of concerns that invasive quagga mussels are slowly destroying wrecks.—
Todd Richmond,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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However, archaeologists faced a significant challenge—how to penetrate its secrets without destroying it in the process?—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Overall, European leaders’ positive reception of Rubio’s speech reflected how horrifically damaged the transatlantic relationship has been by the past year of turmoil over Ukraine, and month of arson over Greenland.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Some of the fiercest storms in the South were reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After the city of New York demolished the Polo Grounds in 1964, a crumbling concrete staircase stood forgotten as the last remaining vestige of the legendary stadium.—
Libby Cierzniak,
IndyStar,
20 Feb. 2026
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With his daughter, Lupel also tutored youngsters from the Cabrini-Green housing project before it was demolished.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The abrupt withdrawal of Microsoft's co-founder dealt a fresh blow to a flagship event already marred by organizational lapses, a robot row and complaints of traffic chaos.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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But more recently, Clark’s tenure has been marred by dissent and distractions.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That was what Ilia Malinin endured on Friday night, when his disastrous free skate ruined his chances for gold.—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Steam cleaning is an effective way to sanitize and refresh your mattress, but the wrong technique can end up ruining the fabric.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Foot traffic at restaurants, shops and mosques sharply declined, turning once-lively economic and social hubs into ghost towns, and threatening to cripple the livelihood of an entire community.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Working at temperatures that would normally cripple lithium-ion cells, a team of Chinese researchers has built a new liquid-solid-state lithium battery that continues to deliver power in deep-freeze conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deface. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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