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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 desecrate
Officials determined that a total of 26 underground vaults and mausoleums were broken into or desecrated from November 2025 until the day Gerlach was caught.
—
Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Nothing beats cuteness except watching violence be enacted upon the cuteness; like an aural Happy Tree Friends, Skulls tosses pom-poms of fuzz into the sky then desecrates them.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
In 1993, White Supremacists in Billings desecrated a Jewish cemetery, sent bomb threats to a synagogue and threw a brick at a menorah in the window of a five-year-old Jewish boy.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 16 Dec. 2025
Public monuments and art were desecrated all over the country.
—Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Alexandra Simon, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
Nothing beats cuteness except watching violence be enacted upon the cuteness; like an aural Happy Tree Friends, Skulls tosses pom-poms of fuzz into the sky then desecrates them.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 17 Dec. 2025
In 1993, White Supremacists in Billings desecrated a Jewish cemetery, sent bomb threats to a synagogue and threw a brick at a menorah in the window of a five-year-old Jewish boy.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 16 Dec. 2025
Public monuments and art were desecrated all over the country.
—Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 3 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for desecrate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for desecrate
violate
Verb
-
Werner said there is one charge, an accusation of participating in an encampment that disturbed university operations, which violates the faculty code of conduct.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
The penalty for violating the speed limit depends on how fast the driver is going.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Desecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/desecrate. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
