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
Javien Wright, the man whose grave was desecrated, was, with a gun by his side, shot to death outside a house in the 1500 block of East Mulkey Street in February 2020.
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Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
More synagogues in Canada in the past 28 months have been desecrated, burned, shot at, or threatened with bombings than in any other country.
—Jesse Brown, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2026
And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
More synagogues in Canada in the past 28 months have been desecrated, burned, shot at, or threatened with bombings than in any other country.
—Jesse Brown, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2026
And a coke-snorting, heirloom-desecrating, funeral-crashing adversary at that.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
With the help of that tiny clipping of moss, the defendants were eventually convicted of desecrating human remains in 2015.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrate
violate
Verb
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In April, the group of 19 camps in Texas filed a lawsuit saying the requirement to install fiber optic internet does not make their properties safer, violates the state Constitution and laws regarding property rights, and could prevent them from opening.—
STEPHEN SIMPSON The Texas Tribune,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2026
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Critics say the commission lacks religious and ideological diversity, violates federal law requiring balanced viewpoints, and threatens long-standing constitutional church-state protections.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrate. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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