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
This can include denial-of-service attacks, in which hackers try to jam a network so legitimate users cannot use it, and website defacements, which can prevent a company from communicating with customers.
—
ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
The defacements concerned city officials enough that Los Angeles Metro buses with Melania ads have been routed from some neighborhoods into other, presumably Melania-friendlier zones.
—Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 31 Jan. 2026
Palombo learned of the complete defacement through private messages on his social media channels.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
After a while, sticky notes appear, written by someone else who’s not exactly pleased about the doodler’s defacement of the only astronomy reference work in the school library.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
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
ABC News, 12 Mar. 2026
The defacements concerned city officials enough that Los Angeles Metro buses with Melania ads have been routed from some neighborhoods into other, presumably Melania-friendlier zones.
—Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 31 Jan. 2026
Palombo learned of the complete defacement through private messages on his social media channels.
—Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
After a while, sticky notes appear, written by someone else who’s not exactly pleased about the doodler’s defacement of the only astronomy reference work in the school library.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacement
Noun
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In recent years, some pregnancy centers have been targeted with vandalism and threats.—
Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez,
NPR,
18 Mar. 2026
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Friends of Tandy Hill, a group that works to protect the 220-acre native prairie in Fort Worth from ongoing issues like misuse and vandalism, has met with the city three times about this issue in the past year, said Don Young, the group’s founder and president.—
Samuel O’Neal
March 17,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Riverside has both a community center named for Chavez and a bronze statue — often the target of vandalization — on the Main Street pedestrian mall in the city’s downtown.—
Ryan Carter,
Daily News,
19 Mar. 2026
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Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
13 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defacement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacement. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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