defacing 1 of 2

noun

as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property the neo-Nazis' defacing of the synagogue was condemned by the entire community

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

defacing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of deface
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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defacing
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
Trump, in one of his Truth Social posts, cited laws against defacing monuments as grounds for imprisoning anyone harming the pool. — Nathan Ellgren, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 Two men from Germany were arrested after being accused of defacing a pride bench in Miami Beach with antisemitic symbols on Monday. — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 19 May 2026 No one in Florida had been charged with criminal mischief for defacing a traffic control device until the August arrests. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026 An inflatable effigy depicting Trump defacing the Constitution made its way through the crowd. — Nik Popli, Time, 28 Mar. 2026 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 Denilson Pires was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and defacing a firearm serial number. — Colleen Cronin, Boston Herald, 10 Mar. 2026 Sohail faces federal charges of intentionally defacing or damaging religious real property, which carries a maximum three years behind bars. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026 Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacing
  1. vandalism
  2. vandalizing
  3. marring
  4. vandalization
  5. destroying
  6. damaging
  7. destruction
  8. demolishing
Noun
  • Prosecutors later concluded that evidence pointed to construction issues with the Reflecting Pool basin, rather than intentional vandalism.
    — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Trump continued to insist that the problems with the pool are the fault of vandalism.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of vandalism
Verb
  • The investigation began last Monday, July 20, when the Irvine Police Department asked for help from the public in locating the suspect who was seen vandalizing several Teslas in a parking garage at Michelson Drive and Carlson Avenue.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 30 July 2026
  • But, rather than vandalizing the corporate website, or holding valuable data for ransom—actions typical of human hackers—the adversary began ransacking the company’s servers in search of an answer key for a list of test questions.
    — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026
Definition of vandalizing
Verb
  • To prevent a similar war from happening again, Menelaus scarred her face, permanently marring her famous beauty.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
    — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of marring
Noun
  • 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
  • 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
Definition of vandalization
Verb
  • The fire ripped through hillside neighborhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular ocean views.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026
  • At that tipping point, the only solution is for oil prices to surge, destroying enough demand for oil that the market can return to equilibrium.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • There are different types of algae scrapers for both glass and acrylic fish tanks, so choose accordingly to avoid scratching or damaging the aquarium.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Use low-pressure water to avoid damaging the aluminum fins and causing performance issues.
    — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of damaging
Noun
  • Since October 2023, the number and severity of settler attacks have skyrocketed, including arson and other destruction of property, the killing of livestock, violent assaults and murder, taking place almost every day.
    — Kamel Musallet, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While the film has long been remembered for ambition, excess, and destruction, Tyga saw another narrative waiting beneath the chaos—a love story.
    — Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of destruction
Verb
  • Despite being identified decades ago, the exact trigger of the joint-demolishing condition is still unclear.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2026
  • At least one person was arrested for trespassing in connection with an earlier protest to stop contractors from demolishing the other trees.
    — Michael Loria, USA Today, 30 July 2026
Definition of demolishing

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defacing
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Cite this Entry

“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 8 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of defacing for Spanish Speakers

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