as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property
the neo-Nazis' defacing of the synagogue was condemned by the entire community
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in vandalizing
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in marring
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of defacing
Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
Stringer/Sputnik via AP What To Know Broadly desecration of a flag refers to any action that damages or disrespects it—such as burning it, urinating or defecating on it, defacing it, stepping on it, damaging it with stones or bullets, cutting or ripping it and many others.
—Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacing
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
Verb
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The display outside Kahn’s home follows a common theme of activists using red paint to protest the war by vandalizing buildings that host political figures, newspapers and other establishments.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
30 Aug. 2025
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Image Since then, mobs have arrived in neighborhoods where Hindus live, vandalizing temples and targeting homes.—
Saif Hasnat,
New York Times,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Boston comes in with three straight losses marring otherwise agreeable vibes.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The two initial quakes flattened villages in both provinces, destroying more than 6,700 homes, and rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble on Thursday.—
Mohammad Yunus Yawar,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
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As Greengrass was editing the picture, wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in Southern California, killing residents and destroying homes.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Avoid using excessive water to prevent damaging the floors.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
7 Sep. 2025
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Large hail, damaging wind, and continuous cloud to ground lightning are occurring with this storm.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Initial offerings include an all-too-timely show about young immigrants as well as several productions that, as part of the Violins of Hope project, will use stringed instruments saved from destruction during the Holocaust.—
Jim Higgins,
jsonline.com,
30 Aug. 2025
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Directed by a mix of Palestinian and Israeli activists, the production chronicles the destruction of a Palestinian community in Judaea and Samaria, or the West Bank, through Israeli military activity between 2019 and 2023.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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About 90% of the former Spring Hill Mall is gone and work demolishing the final anchor store set to begin in the next couple of weeks, officials said.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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After filing the first lawsuit, attorney Katie Steele of Varghese Summersett also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent the owners from removing or destroying tenants’ property from the units, or demolishing the building, and to preserve critical evidence in the case.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Last week, a 23-year-old opened fire outside a church at a Minneapolis Catholic school, killing two children and injuring 19 other people before dying by suicide.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
4 Sep. 2025
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Parollee Dawain Hopson lived a free life for about five weeks before landing back behind bars, this time for allegedly stabbing two people to death at a Detroit pool party over the summer and injuring two others with the same knife.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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