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
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Nunez-Romano was also charged with possessing a firearm without a firearm identification card and defacing the serial number of a firearm.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
The lyrics have the same anesthetized ennui as in emo rap and the new wave of online rock, but the beats are menacingly new and dead-set on defacing your consciousness.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the people defacing Friend’s advertisements are expressing a much larger, inchoate rage at the broader AI industry, not just these plastic pendants that practically nobody owns.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2025
If a student or college employee is found defacing or otherwise vandalizing the commemoration, the bill requires the institution to expel or fire them.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
The investigation into the racist defacing of the black professors’ portraits at Harvard Law School in 2015 continues into an eleventh year with no resolution and no suspects.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
Anyone convicted of defacing certain sensitive surfaces, such as petroglyphs or rock art, faces steeper penalties.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Nunez-Romano was also charged with possessing a firearm without a firearm identification card and defacing the serial number of a firearm.
—Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
The lyrics have the same anesthetized ennui as in emo rap and the new wave of online rock, but the beats are menacingly new and dead-set on defacing your consciousness.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, the people defacing Friend’s advertisements are expressing a much larger, inchoate rage at the broader AI industry, not just these plastic pendants that practically nobody owns.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2025
If a student or college employee is found defacing or otherwise vandalizing the commemoration, the bill requires the institution to expel or fire them.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacing
Noun
-
Graffiti and other forms of vandalism at national park sites are federal crimes that carry penalties of up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail.—
Outside,
Outside,
27 Jan. 2026
-
According to the outlet, Sweeney could be at risk of being charged with criminal trespassing and/or vandalism.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Police have arrested a man accused of vandalizing a menorah built by a holocaust survivor outside a synagogue in Bridgeport last month.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Over just two days, 30 people were arrested for vandalizing the mall.—
Victoria Le,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Including playoffs, Mayfield turned the ball over more than anyone else from 2023 through 2024, marring an otherwise fantastic two seasons in Tampa Bay.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
Modesto Fire Department Firefighters quickly contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from destroying the home, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
By the way, the last scene of The Conversation has the paranoid Gene Hackman destroying his apartment in a desperate and futile search for listening devices.—
Rose Horowitch,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sudden cold could be damaging to lawns due to the warm weather; most should regrow.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But toward the end of the afternoon session, the Frenchman spun on the damp track and hit the wall, damaging his car.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In June 2025, EOS demonstrated the destruction of a tank using a Rodeur 330 fitted with an inert warhead, controlled via FPV.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
26 Jan. 2026
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While navigating Westport by car or on foot is chaotic right now, the goal is to prevent destruction in the future.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Crews are demolishing Westport infrastructure to construct an underground storage basin to hold water that previously would have flooded Westport buildings.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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