as in destroying
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 vandalizing
Police have arrested a man accused of vandalizing a menorah built by a holocaust survivor outside a synagogue in Bridgeport last month.
—
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
Over just two days, 30 people were arrested for vandalizing the mall.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 14 Jan. 2026
The husband was criminally charged with vandalizing property, and the neighbors obtained a harassment prevention order against him.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
Man accused of vandalizing Vance's home ID'd as criminal history is revealed.
—FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
District Attorney Summer Stephan reminded the crowd that San Diego is not free of its own tragedies spurned by antisemitic hate and bigotry, including instances of hateful graffiti vandalizing a synagogue and destruction of a menorah at The Chabad House at San Diego State University.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
An arrest has been made after a man was caught on video knocking over and vandalizing a menorah outside the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's Office on Monday night, police confirmed.
—Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
In Dhaka, videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalizing the offices of the country’s largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, as well as the Daily Star.
—CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
In November, a Utah woman was ordered to pay $15,000 in fines and restitution after vandalizing petroglyphs outside of Kanab.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 10 Dec. 2025
Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
Over just two days, 30 people were arrested for vandalizing the mall.
—Victoria Le, Oc Register, 14 Jan. 2026
The husband was criminally charged with vandalizing property, and the neighbors obtained a harassment prevention order against him.
—Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
Man accused of vandalizing Vance's home ID'd as criminal history is revealed.
—FOXNews.com, 6 Jan. 2026
District Attorney Summer Stephan reminded the crowd that San Diego is not free of its own tragedies spurned by antisemitic hate and bigotry, including instances of hateful graffiti vandalizing a synagogue and destruction of a menorah at The Chabad House at San Diego State University.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2025
An arrest has been made after a man was caught on video knocking over and vandalizing a menorah outside the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector's Office on Monday night, police confirmed.
—Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
In Dhaka, videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalizing the offices of the country’s largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, as well as the Daily Star.
—CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
In November, a Utah woman was ordered to pay $15,000 in fines and restitution after vandalizing petroglyphs outside of Kanab.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 10 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalizing
Verb
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The court also convicted Han of falsifying the martial law proclamation and destroying it and lying under oath.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
22 Jan. 2026
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Where, in the springtime, sudden storms send tornadoes tearing through towns, destroying everything in their wake.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nunez-Romano was also charged with possessing a firearm without a firearm identification card and defacing the serial number of a firearm.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
31 Dec. 2025
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The lyrics have the same anesthetized ennui as in emo rap and the new wave of online rock, but the beats are menacingly new and dead-set on defacing your consciousness.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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On Thursday morning, crews were nearly finished demolishing the adjacent structures, one of which was damaged by a fire in March 2024.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
23 Jan. 2026
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Police forces, alongside enforcement officers from the Israel Land Authority, arrived at the compound with bulldozers and engineering equipment and began demolishing the site, according to footage obtained by CNN.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Typical 30-minute sessions cost between £35 and £70, although some slots can rise to £200, depending on the size of the room and the number of items up for smashing.—
Will Barker,
TheWeek,
22 Jan. 2026
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Bystanders have recorded video of officers using a battering ram to get into a house as well as smashing vehicle windows and dragging people out of cars.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And, from this week’s issue, Nicola Twilley’s reporting on another lingering effect of the wildfires—smoke taint that is ruining grapes and threatening California’s wine industry.—
Dana Goodyear,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
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The video then shows the man asking if the situation was ruining Kaleel's Christmas.—
Jade Jackson,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perhaps trashing the visiting locker room like a hair metal band in 1987?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
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Cooper later deleted the posts, but Broncos fans absolutely loved him for trashing the Chiefs.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Private property owners may prohibit guns on their premises and direct anyone violating their rules to leave.—
Paul Kiefer,
jsonline.com,
28 Jan. 2026
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After being notified of the action, Musk’s company almost immediately countersued the conservative influencer, accusing her of violating the platform’s terms of service, which state any disputes with X must be brought in Texas.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Historical precedent suggests 18-24 months between credibility-damaging foreign policy moments and electoral materialization.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Several other cases remain pending — most notably the high-profile conspiracy charges against six protesters, including several Democratic political candidates, accused of impeding immigration officers and damaging a vehicle outside the Broadview ICE facility in September.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalizing. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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