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
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Recent Examples of vandalize
Trying to figure out how his items could have gone missing, Harmon thought back to a few weeks earlier, when the museum was vandalized.
—
Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Stores in downtown Los Angeles were broken into and looted, and some of the downtown area was vandalized with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lifted the city’s curfew on Tuesday, one week after it was put in place to respond to a wave of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrations that at times turned violent and saw businesses vandalized.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 17 June 2025
Protests in the city’s Civic Center have led to sometimes violent clashes between residents, immigration advocates and local and federal law enforcement, while buildings and businesses in the area have been damaged and vandalized.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vandalize
Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Stores in downtown Los Angeles were broken into and looted, and some of the downtown area was vandalized with anti-ICE and anti-Trump graffiti.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lifted the city’s curfew on Tuesday, one week after it was put in place to respond to a wave of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrations that at times turned violent and saw businesses vandalized.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 17 June 2025
Protests in the city’s Civic Center have led to sometimes violent clashes between residents, immigration advocates and local and federal law enforcement, while buildings and businesses in the area have been damaged and vandalized.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for vandalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalize
Verb
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In September 2024, the same month as the pager attack and assassination of Hezbollah’s leader, Israel launched the most extensive campaign of airstrikes in the air force’s history hitherto, destroying much of Hezbollah’s strategic surface-to-surface missile stockpiles.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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As rumors swirl and her life collapses, Eva faces a choice: protect herself or expose Amir’s secret and risk destroying him.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
30 June 2025
Verb
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Law enforcement witnesses have testified about copious quantities of baby oil, Astroglide and drugs recovered from Combs’ lavish properties and hotel rooms, in addition to defaced semiautomatic weapons and ammunition.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
23 June 2025
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Two of the pistols, a Glock 9mm pistol and the Colt .380 pistol, allegedly had defaced serial number, the bureau said.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
12 June 2025
Verb
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It was held at Isaza’s grandparents’ house, which was about to be demolished.—
Sigal Ratner-Arias,
Billboard,
10 July 2025
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An existing, 38,000-square-foot building on the site will be demolished in that development.—
Corina Vanek,
AZCentral.com,
8 July 2025
Verb
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The other oar was smashed off, and the raft was littered up with leaves and branches and dirt.—
John Nogowski,
Hartford Courant,
6 July 2025
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The Bay of Fundy in Canada, which has the highest tidal range in the world (reaching up to 50 ft (15 m) and would make for an excellent source of clean energy for the region, has routinely been smashing tidal turbines to bits with its rapid tidal streams.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
2 July 2025
Verb
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Now a wonderful memory of the occasion will be ruined in my memories.—
Eric Thomas,
Sun Sentinel,
9 July 2025
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The ceiling was now on the floor, the world had turned itself upside down, her outfit and her day and her rug were seemingly ruined—and yet she herself was not hurt.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 July 2025
Verb
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According to a spokesperson for the National Police Association, there are too many people violating home detention in Maryland who are committing crimes while wearing their ankle monitors.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
11 July 2025
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Last year, the Department of Justice sued Legends for violating federal waiting period requirements related to its acquisition of ASM Global, which was the former operator of Pechanga Arena San Diego.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Don't use harsh cleaners, which can damage the grates.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
1 July 2025
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But opponents contend that industrial animal agriculture actually jeopardizes food security, by damaging local ecosystems, undermining traditional agricultural practices, and intensifying climate harms.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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That trend also increases evaporation, fueling more rain that washes pollution like chemicals, dog poop and trash into canals and Biscayne Bay.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
30 June 2025
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Iran likely would not have been able to breach its nonproliferation obligations — as reported by the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency — had Trump not trashed the pact that President Obama and other world powers, including Russia, made with Iran to limit its nuclear program.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Vandalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalize. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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