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
Public monuments and art were desecrated all over the country.
—
Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2025
Never in the storied history of MomTok have the core brand values been this desecrated.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2025
In the world of Monster, a person who takes lives and desecrates corpses might someday be capable of redemption.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2025
Never in the storied history of MomTok have the core brand values been this desecrated.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025
Gonzales-Rosales was charged with killing and desecrating a woman, his neighbor, on Easter in 2023.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 6 Nov. 2025
In the world of Monster, a person who takes lives and desecrates corpses might someday be capable of redemption.
—Judy Berman, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrate
violate
Verb
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The probe will examine whether Department of Homeland Security officers violated the law in shooting the 37-year-old ICU nurse.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
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In 2024, the court said fining or jailing someone for sleeping outside when there are no available shelter beds doesn’t violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrate. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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