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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of defacing
Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 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
In 2010, a man was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $10,000 for intentionally defacing carvings at Lake Mead, according to the city.
—Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
Harrison Grant Randall, 39, was charged earlier this year with six counts of defacing property after Brookline Police posted a video of a suspect riding his bike — and the public helped ID him.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 17 Oct. 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
In 2010, a man was sentenced to 15 months in prison and fined $10,000 for intentionally defacing carvings at Lake Mead, according to the city.
—Hannah Dreyfus, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacing
Noun
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Four decades later, despite a handful of mostly minor injuries (the Hill’s angle of incline is more than thirty degrees), a few instances of vandalism, and our fair share of brutal losses (some years more than others), the tradition endures.—
Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
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Angela Rollins, 62, was booked into the Marin County Jail on suspicion of cruelty to an animal, vandalism, burglary and battery.—
Cameron Macdonald,
Mercury News,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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After spending more than a week in detention, the 13-year-old accused of vandalizing a statue of Marty Brennanman has gone home with his maternal grandmother.—
Cameron Knight,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Students demonstrated in the historic center of Morelia, with several demonstrators vandalizing at least two buildings used by local authorities, according to reports.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Some city governments gave up on Columbus statues after multiple rounds of vandalization and decided to remove them, like in New Haven, Connecticut.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And candidates who stoked fear in voters — with the threat of towering multi-family complexes destroying their communities or costly local infrastructure projects driving up taxes — lost by clear margins.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Derek Lopez, 27, was fired from his role at the university after he was caught on camera destroying a Turning Point display.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
If your hair is getting snagged while using the brush or seems to be damaging your hair, it should also be replaced.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has been accused by a lot of people of damaging the sport by staging fights that are more bit than boxing.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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There are two questions Gazans have usually asked each other since the start of this campaign of unrelenting and systematic destruction, starvation, displacement and mass killing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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But catastrophes also tend to reveal deficits in society, and the patterns of destruction and abandonment that followed the fire—which have roots in America’s past and its present—tell us something about the country’s future, too.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The military showed us a map of Hamas tunnel routes Israeli forces are still discovering and demolishing in the area.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Most recently, crews began demolishing the East Wing of the White House.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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