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
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 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
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 Brownsville Youth Soccer Association is seeking help from the community after its soccer fields were vandalized.
    — Josh Taylor, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Flock cameras have now been vandalized in at least 36 states, according to NPR.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Aug. 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
  • The fire started in the 2300 block of Pickett Road and destroyed five structures, according to Cal Fire.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Almost 50 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far; there have been several injuries, and one of Tibbetts’s neighbors lost 20 German shepherds.
    — Anya Kamenetz, Curbed, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroyed
Verb
  • However, the approach is marred by low throughput, and the process is also quite complex to execute.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • But his tenure has been marred by a number of fatal shootings of immigrants in encounters with ICE officers.
    — Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 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 31 Aug. 2026.

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