1
as in to vandalize
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deface
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Someone who should not stumble into this, who should not have to see the grave of her loved one defaced.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for deface
Verb
Not to mention an endless supply of bus-stop posters in major cities across America — which keep getting defaced and replaced.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 30 Jan. 2026
Someone who should not stumble into this, who should not have to see the grave of her loved one defaced.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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
See All Example Sentences for deface
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deface
Verb
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The statue created by Ivor Roberts-Jones and unveiled in 1973 has frequently been vandalized.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Feb. 2026
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The ministry said settlers vandalized or attacked 45 mosques in the West Bank last year.—
AREF TUFAHA,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Two more juvenile males have been arrested in connection with Sunday’s shooting at Maplewood Mall, making four total arrests in the shooting that injured a man.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
25 Feb. 2026
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Oseguera was seriously injured in the shootout and died during air transfer to Mexico City.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Meanwhile, staffers were difficult to retain following incidents of shoplifting, harassment, vandalism and an arson that caused upward of $500,000 in damage in 2022.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
26 Feb. 2026
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In addition, Cardona was convicted of arson of an inhabited structure with a special circumstance that the arson caused great bodily injury to more than one victim, as well as two counts of vandalism for damage to two residences.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In eastern Afghanistan, the Department of Information and Culture accused Pakistan of targeting civilian areas, destroying homes and killing at least 11 people.—
MUNIR AHMED,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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The Democrat said Iran’s defenses were weakened and Saturday there was an opportunity to destroy remaining military assets.—
Anthony Shoemaker,
The Columbus Dispatch,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In Iran, multiple rounds of explosions were reported in Tehran, while patients were evacuated from a hospital in the north of the city on Sunday after it was badly damaged, according to Iranian state media.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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As a bonus, those seasons are ideal for planting a replacement shrub or re-establishing a lawn if it is damaged during the shrub removal.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
Verb
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The referendum sought funds to expand and renovate the school's North Campus building and demolish the school's South Campus building.—
Alec Johnson,
jsonline.com,
27 Feb. 2026
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The city had permitted the project to partially demolish a preexisting, two-story, two-unit dwelling, which was planned to be enlarged into a four-story, seven-unit building, a DOB spokesman said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The victory, the joy, and the entrance to the elite doorway were all marred within hours.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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But even her first edition was marred with political turmoil in Germany with the rise of the far right, as well as pressures for the Berlinale to pick a side in the Gaza-Israel conflict.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deface. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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