as in to violate
to treat (a sacred place or object) shamefully or with great disrespect
vandals desecrated the cemetery last night by covering the tombstones with graffiti
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Recent Examples of desecrate
Now 23, Aponte pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge as part of a plea deal that saw prosecutors drop additional counts against her, including endangering, hindering, and disturbing or desecrating human remains, court records show.
—
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2025
After unknowingly desecrating a sacred burial ground, 17-year-old Dashon Wallace (McLaughlin) and his family become targets of the Mbirwi, an ancient spirit summoned to protect the local community from the invasion of foreigners.
—Peter White, Deadline, 7 May 2025
Read More: The Battle for Our Memory Is the Battle for Our Country
But debasing our history through censorship and ideological cherry-picking insults the memory of the nine saints who were murdered at Mother Emanuel, desecrating its sacred space all over again.
—Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025
But the real violence — and the reason audiences presumably pay to see these IP parasites — is what’s done to the characters themselves, as there’s an illicit thrill in desecrating powerful brands, like Disney.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2025
After unknowingly desecrating a sacred burial ground, 17-year-old Dashon Wallace (McLaughlin) and his family become targets of the Mbirwi, an ancient spirit summoned to protect the local community from the invasion of foreigners.
—Peter White, Deadline, 7 May 2025
Read More: The Battle for Our Memory Is the Battle for Our Country
But debasing our history through censorship and ideological cherry-picking insults the memory of the nine saints who were murdered at Mother Emanuel, desecrating its sacred space all over again.
—Kevin Sack, Time, 3 June 2025
But the real violence — and the reason audiences presumably pay to see these IP parasites — is what’s done to the characters themselves, as there’s an illicit thrill in desecrating powerful brands, like Disney.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrate
violate
Verb
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The idea of making this sort of gesture, at a time when Texas Republicans are violating the spirit of the rules, is understandably hard for Democrats to consider.—
Colin Pascal,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Aug. 2025
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Any claim or suggestion that Connecticut has violated or is not in compliance with federal law is false.—
Laura Tillman,
Hartford Courant,
16 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Desecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrate. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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