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
The charges include felony counts of making criminal threats, assault with a deadly weapon involving a motor vehicle on March 19, and vandalizing Buckingham’s Mercedes-Benz S450 the same day.
—
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2026
Baumann testified that Evetts joined him in vandalizing the vehicles parked in the facility’s adjacent lot and breaking a surveillance camera.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
William Defoor, 26, was accused of breaking a window to enter Vance’s home and vandalizing a USSS vehicle, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press in January.
—Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 7 Feb. 2026
At least four suspects were detained for vandalizing property in the area and will be charged with felony vandalism, according to the LAPD.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In November, a woman was caught and charged with a felony for vandalizing ancient petroglyphs near Moab.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 13 Apr. 2026
Baumann testified that Evetts joined him in vandalizing the vehicles parked in the facility’s adjacent lot and breaking a surveillance camera.
—Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
William Defoor, 26, was accused of breaking a window to enter Vance’s home and vandalizing a USSS vehicle, law enforcement officials told The Associated Press in January.
—Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 7 Feb. 2026
At least four suspects were detained for vandalizing property in the area and will be charged with felony vandalism, according to the LAPD.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In November, a woman was caught and charged with a felony for vandalizing ancient petroglyphs near Moab.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalizing
Verb
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Neighbors like Vetsch off Marion Road are convinced that's what hit their neighborhood, destroying multiple homes.—
Conor Wight,
CBS News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Voting out the party that has been destroying our country must be our only focus.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This exclusion protects the home warranty company from homeowners who may try to get replacements for appliances or home system components by defacing or damaging them purposefully.—
Dan Simms,
USA Today,
23 Mar. 2026
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Denilson Pires was arrested and charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, and defacing a firearm serial number.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Thiel says 200 workers spent Saturday demolishing the stair tower and elevator shaft, and then the focus shifts to the rest of the building.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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The musician and fashion mogul began the process of demolishing the architectural gem, completely stripping its electricity, plumbing, bathrooms, and windows.—
India Roby,
Architectural Digest,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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At the nearly 17-mile-long circular particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that sits deep below the French Alps, CERN scientists recreated the quark-gluon plasma by smashing together atomic nuclei of iron at near-light speed.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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While the couple was able to laugh it off in the moment, the majority of comments on TikTok were negative, with people accusing Zach of being an attention-seeker and ruining the wedding.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Surveillance video showed a group of people walking outside the warehouse before going inside and spending more than half an hour spray-painting profanities and trashing the facility.—
Sabrina Franza,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
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Trump lavishly praised the justices who voted his way ― Brett Kavanaugh, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito ― while continually trashing the ones who didn't.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Josett pleaded guilty to three misdemeanors, including unauthorized computer access and fraud; annoying and repeated phone calls; and contempt of court for violating the restraining order.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
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The officer’s actions after finding the warrant, while definitely violating the spirit of the act, may actually expose some gray areas in the application of the law, said Tsao, who also works as senior policy counsel for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the vehicles apparently also slammed into the rear of a parked silver BMW, damaging it, as well.—
Nicholas Williams,
New York Daily News,
12 Apr. 2026
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On Friday, the actor and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racer was involved in wreck with Tyler Reif and Timmy Hill on the Bristol Motor Speedway, damaging his Malcolm in the Middle themed Ford F-150 and taking him out of the race.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalizing. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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