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 country music icon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was allegedly vandalized after her death; it was already set to be replaced because of existing cracks, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce told Los Angeles news station ABC 7.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Parton’s star was vandalized shortly after the beloved entertainer was laid to rest following her death at age 80.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of vandalized
Verb
  • At a key power plant that was severely damaged by the floods, workers started inspecting the facilities Sunday to survey the destruction.
    — Victoria Milko, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The Don Curry Nature Trail — named for the Troop 326 scoutmaster and Fort Worth attorney — replaced an older trail that had been damaged by erosion.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of damaged
Adjective
  • The standard medical terms clinicians rely on may become distorted or polluted.
    — Frank Naeymi-Rad, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • La Nueva Violencia is a smirking, libidinous play for the dance floor, picking up where the distorted guitars of the last record left off and channeling each new riff into sleazy post-punk and electroclash that stick to the body like sweaty velvet.
    — Richard Villegas, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 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
  • Forces also destroyed a third vessel, the M/T Kylo near the Gulf of Oman.
    — Gabrielle Khoriaty, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And, as Europe has felt more threatened by Russian incursions, a week ago NATO fighter jets destroyed a drone near Romania’s natural gas projects in the Black Sea.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • The tenures of the two subsequent chief baseball executives, Billy Eppler and Minasian, were marred by Moreno’s intrusions, sources said.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Amnesty International had called on the Court of Cassation to overturn the convictions, describing the case as politically motivated and saying the trial was marred by due process and other violations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 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 6 Sep. 2026.

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