as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property
the defacement of the school's property ended up costing hundreds of dollars
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Recent Examples of defacement
The tactics have transcended low-level website defacements and data theft too and now extend to more destructive attacks on systems such as energy grids, gas pipelines, and undersea cables.
—
Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Tuesday’s alert is the latest in what’s been a string of hateful defacements this summer.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Tuesday’s alert is the latest in what’s been a string of hateful defacements this summer.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacement
vandalism
Noun
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Barron continues to have a conversation with her students about vandalism of school property and discipline within the classroom.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
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Amid a rise in cases of theft and vandalism along Nigerian oil facilities, TotalEnergies was one of a number of oil majors to divest from some Nigerian oil assets over the past year, selling its stake in a field for $510 million to Shell in May.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defacement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacement. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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