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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 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
This exclusion protects the home warranty company from homeowners who may try to get replacements for appliances or home system components by defacing or damaging them purposefully.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
Last summer, Zeevi, who owns an HVAC company in San Jose, told KTVU that the vans at his shop were defaced with swastikas.
—Lucy Hodgman, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Mar. 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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Pineda says the cameras have been vandalized, covered with tape, spray paint and even clothing.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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The charges include felony counts of making criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon involving a motor vehicle on March 19, and vandalizing Buckingham’s Mercedes-Benz S450 the same day.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When a Lake Dallas home exploded last month, critically injuring a woman inside, investigators said natural gas from a leaking pipe fueled the blast.—
Lexi Salazar,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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There have also been calls when people have been injured from an accident with a horse and the animal is not secured.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Nichols is charged with one count each of felony assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, threatening crime with intent to terrorize and vandalism, according to court documents.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
15 Apr. 2026
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The report tracks incidents that range from physical attacks and vandalism to verbal threats and harassment on social media.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Similarly, corruption or physical damage might destroy a file’s header, which contains its identifying metadata, while leaving other parts of it untouched.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Jeep crashed into a concrete barrier after clipping the other car, destroying part of the barrier, Adams County Fire Rescue officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Washington’s version of McCall is disciplined but damaged, and possibly afflicted with something like obsessive-compulsive disorder.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
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In fact, Gerrod Moore, a brand manager of Maytag advises against uninformed stainless steel cleaning experimentation, because some kitchen cleaning go-to's like bleach, glass cleaner, abrasive cleaners, and steel wool may damage the metal.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 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
Verb
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Gil Rivera, director of building, economic and community development, said Target has already submitted permits to demolish the current structure.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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The hotel building is expected to be demolished within the next month.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But her career has been marred by high-profile incidents — including being photographed in 2007 with a freshly shaven head hitting a car with an umbrella.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
13 Apr. 2026
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Sunday’s vote was marred by delays in distributing electoral materials in several districts of Lima, forcing authorities to extend voting into Monday.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deface. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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