vandalize

verb

ˈvan-də-ˌlīz How to pronounce vandalize (audio)
Definition of vandalizenext
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

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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 vandalize Before dawn that day, activists vandalized an administration building. — Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026 Flock Safety’s license plate scanners are being vandalized and cities have ended contracts with the company over community outcry. — Samantha Subin, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026 Paint can chip and fade and public art faces the constant threat of being vandalized. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026 To protest in the street, to be arrested for attacking a police officer or vandalizing private property, or making a fool of yourself in any of a hundred different ways is valuable currency to anyone seeking status within an activist organization. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for vandalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalize
  1. destroy
  2. deface
  3. demolish
  4. smash
  5. ruin
  6. violate
  7. damage
  8. trash
Verb
  • Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Animal diseases also threaten our economy and food system, destroying more than 20% of global livestock production each year.
    — Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • According to his guilty plea, Horn used black spray paint to deface 12 gravestones.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Rioting broke out in some cities as luxury boutiques and supermarkets were looted while public buildings were defaced and even set on fire.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of deface
Verb
  • The building’s owner previously told The Star the building would not be demolished and that it could be redeveloped.
    — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The 18-year-old female elephant got loose from her handler outside her enclosure, then went on the run, demolishing the door of a saloon on North Avenue, smashing in the window of another and walking through the fence around a vacant lot.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of demolish
Verb
  • Protests last week devolved into mayhem, with people setting fires, storming public buildings, smashing shop windows, looting and clashing with police.
    — ELITSA GADEVA, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Rioters last weekend smashed their way into stores, targeting sneakers, athletic wear and sporting goods on streets that run off the city’s central Duomo square.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of smash
Verb
  • Burdick seemed to have drawn directly from McCarthy’s experience, the hopelessness of fighting with his father over a world his father had already ruined, the surrender to indulgence and mindless violence because…why not?
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Each room is also outfitted with a Yale smart lock, which means there’s no room for that horrible feeling of losing a room key to ruin your vacation.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruin
Verb
  • Meta has long been criticized for its data privacy practices, and on Wednesday, a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $25 billion for violating the state’s consumer protection laws.
    — Andrew R. Chow, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The company had previously said a penalty in the billions of dollars risked violating its constitutional rights to due process and protection from excessive fines.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of violate
Verb
  • Rioters burned close to 6,000 vehicles and damaged over 1,000 buildings.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • What that young girl saw damaged and scarred her heart; one wonders why the happy adults around her could not see the ugliness inherent in killing a fellow human being.
    — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of damage
Verb
  • The parents go up to a little outbuilding on their hill to trash him further.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In a testament to its authenticity, one of the hotel’s housekeepers trashed part of the installation.
    — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of trash

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vandalization
vandalize
vandalized
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Cite this Entry

“Vandalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalize. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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