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defaced 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in disfigured

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2
as in mutilated

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defaced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of deface
1
as in vandalized
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

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2
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of defaced
Verb
The building's pine ceilings were in disrepair and its brick walls were damaged, poorly painted, or defaced with graffiti. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Sep. 2026 Continue reading … HOLY GROUND ATTACK — World-famous Catholic shrine defaced and set on fire. — FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 No patriots so defaced America as those who, in the name of Americanism, launched a witch hunt that became a byword around the world. — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 That was the last time the sign was defaced. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 12 June 2026 The cemetery, created in 1859, was abandoned and defaced before becoming the property of the county in 1967. — Marla Jo Fisher, Oc Register, 4 June 2026 At least three campaign signs for Sacramento City Council candidate Jenn Chawla were defaced with racist slurs over the weekend. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 18 May 2026 In Australia, synagogues were firebombed, cars torched and Jewish community buildings defaced – the types of attacks recently seen in the United Kingdom that have prompted calls for a crackdown on antisemitism. — Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 25 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defaced
  1. disfigured
  2. mutilated
  3. vandalized
  4. damaged
  5. distorted
  6. mangled
  7. destroyed
  8. marred
Adjective
  • Those who survived the disease were often left disfigured and scarred.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In a particularly gnarly flashback, one sibling voluntarily — and crudely — amputates his fingers to match his brother's disfigured hand, which lost two digits when Angier shot him.
    — Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of disfigured
Adjective
  • The mutilated body of Mary Ann Nichols was found in London’s East End slums.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Times coverage of the incident and subsequent lawsuit, the scenes shown in the classroom included autopsies, decaying cadavers and live animals being butchered, mutilated and tortured.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of mutilated
Verb
  • The next day, Webster reported that his property was vandalized.
    — Aubrey Wright, IndyStar, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Dolly Parton‘s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been replaced after the original one was vandalized following the country superstar’s death.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of vandalized
Verb
  • The suicide attack on Friday brought down an outer wall of the police offices and badly damaged the mosque.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Aid groups warn more than three-quarters of Gaza’s housing stock is damaged, thousands of buildings are at risk of collapse, and residents grow especially vulnerable when winter rains seep into weakened structures.
    — Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of damaged
Adjective
  • The shoegaze sound keeps evolving, as young artists keep hearing themselves in those mega-distorted waves of guitar fuzz.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Hanlen acknowledged the political attention Cunningham has attracted and suggested the public often receives a distorted impression of her.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of distorted
Adjective
  • This fencing appeared to have been lifted up and twisted, landing in a mangled and haphazard manner.
    — Mike Stunson, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Chopper 4 was on the scene where a white car was flipped over and completely mangled.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Definition of mangled
Verb
  • The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 629 Ukrainian drones overnight over 14 Russian regions, as well as illegally annexed Crimea and the Azov and the Black seas.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In the course of three weeks, Israeli soldiers destroyed much of the area, razing schools and mosques and commandeering buildings for use as military posts.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • The episode was marred some by a glitch in the show’s voting system; viewers weren’t able to choose their favorites on the DWTS website and had to vote by text.
    — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Another interesting option is Yetur Gross-Matos, whose recent stint with the 49ers was marred by a knee issue.
    — Matt Barrows, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of marred

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Cite this Entry

“Defaced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defaced. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

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