as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property
colorizing that classic black-and-white film would be an unforgivable act of cinematic vandalization
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to destroy
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property
he decided to vandalize the store because the owner had kicked him out
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 vandalization
Ryan Carter, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Operating funds would be spent on security for shuttered stations, to ensure they do not get vandalized or stripped for copper wire.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalization
Noun
Riverside has both a community center named for Chavez and a bronze statue — often the target of vandalization — on the Main Street pedestrian mall in the city’s downtown.
—Ryan Carter, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.
—Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Verb
Ungrateful humans vandalized his black cement statue.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
Operating funds would be spent on security for shuttered stations, to ensure they do not get vandalized or stripped for copper wire.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalization
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalization
Noun
-
Nichols is charged with one count each of felony assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, threatening crime with intent to terrorize and vandalism, according to court documents.—
Dalila Muata,
NBC news,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The report tracks incidents that range from physical attacks and vandalism to verbal threats and harassment on social media.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Similarly, corruption or physical damage might destroy a file’s header, which contains its identifying metadata, while leaving other parts of it untouched.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The Jeep crashed into a concrete barrier after clipping the other car, destroying part of the barrier, Adams County Fire Rescue officials said.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Another admonishes participants not to urinate in the street, start fights, block streets, climb on cars or deface property — all things that have been problems some years.—
Larry Neumeister,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
-
One very analog cost robotics companies are now dealing with as their products proliferate in the wild is repair fees for robots who have been kicked, ridden on, or otherwise defaced, Serve Robotics CEO Ali Kashani tells Semafor.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Gil Rivera, director of building, economic and community development, said Target has already submitted permits to demolish the current structure.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The hotel building is expected to be demolished within the next month.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Lyrids are known for producing bright, fast-moving meteors that tend to lack persistent trails, but have the potential to spawn spectacular fireballs as larger chunks of Comet Thatcher smash into Earth's atmosphere.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In footage shared by the BBC on X, Medvedev, who suffered a 6-0 6-0 loss during the 49-minute match, was filmed smashing up his tennis racket six times and angrily tossing it across the court.—
Gina Kalsi,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
These tenacious insects discreetly land on your skin, leaving sudden, itchy, and painful bites that can swell and turn red, ruining a perfectly pleasant outdoor evening.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Who knew that an attempt to ruin Iran’s navy and army would result in the demilitarization of the West?—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Formosus’ corpse was found guilty of violating papal law.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The man could not establish the existence of a relationship of trust or a false representation or statement of fact without violating the free exercise clause of the First Amendment, the court said.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Washington’s version of McCall is disciplined but damaged, and possibly afflicted with something like obsessive-compulsive disorder.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
In fact, Gerrod Moore, a brand manager of Maytag advises against uninformed stainless steel cleaning experimentation, because some kitchen cleaning go-to's like bleach, glass cleaner, abrasive cleaners, and steel wool may damage the metal.—
Hallie Milstein,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandalization.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalization. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
