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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Venzor testified to Alam’s involvement in the vandalism but said it was not motivated by hate.—
Harrison Mantas,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Sep. 2025
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Both suspects were booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism, according to a press release from the San Jose Police Department.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In the finale, Laura crashes Daniel and Cherry’s engagement party, and Cherry is arrested for vandalizing Laura’s gallery.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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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
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 military has also been targeting and destroying high-rise buildings surrounding displacement camps, crowding Gaza City’s residents into ever-smaller spaces.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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Ultimately, North was found guilty of destroying official documents, accepting a home security system as a gift and obstructing Congress in 1989.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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China has rejected the accusation and accused the Philippines of damaging the coral reef ecosystem in the waterway instead.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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To get a much clearer look at its fine details and avoid damaging the specimen, the research team used highly powerful synchrotron CT scans from facilities in France and the UK.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Critical wildlife habitat may be put at risk for alteration or wholesale destruction.—
Ryan Gellert,
Time,
9 Sep. 2025
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But tenants have little legal footing to stand on in combating that destruction.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An image taken on August 19 shows Israeli excavators and bulldozers demolishing buildings in Zeitoun.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
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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
Verb
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Colorado Springs club shooting A 22-year-old gunman entered an LGBTQ nightclub in November 2022 in Colorado Springs shortly before midnight and immediately opened fire, killing at least five people and injuring 25 others before patrons confronted and stopped him, police said.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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The suspect was indicted by a federal grand jury in July and is also accused of shooting and injuring another state lawmaker and his wife earlier the same day.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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