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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalizing
Verb
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But when the other side is destroying it, there are worse things to be than the alternative.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
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The European Union is moving forward with its ban on destroying unsold clothing, footwear and accessories.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Anyone convicted of defacing certain sensitive surfaces, such as petroglyphs or rock art, faces steeper penalties.—
Outside,
Outside,
27 Jan. 2026
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Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades.—
Taylor Seely,
AZCentral.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The village is demolishing homes to make way for the redevelopment and will relocate residents elsewhere on campus, Timberlake said.—
Nathan Pilling,
Kansas City Star,
13 Feb. 2026
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The project calls for demolishing a 1949 single-family home and building a 2,500-square-foot contemporary building to be used as a Jewish ritual pool for women for spiritual purification.—
Lauren Costantino
February 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In August 2024, students stormed her official residence, smashing walls and looting its contents, forcing her to flee into neighboring India and exile.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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Football in particular was hard to understand, with plays that last only seconds and the jarring violence of giant men smashing into each other.—
Erendira Rendon,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Steam cleaning is an effective way to sanitize and refresh your mattress, but the wrong technique can end up ruining the fabric.—
Madeline Buiano,
Martha Stewart,
15 Feb. 2026
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Meanwhile, Bree doesn’t even realize that Evan is already in the process of ruining everything.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Critics are trashing Melania the doc, as reflected by its current 6 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Feb. 2026
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Perhaps trashing the visiting locker room like a hair metal band in 1987?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After Conley admitted to violating parole in federal court on Monday, Hall revoked his supervised release and sentenced him to 21 months in or with no supervised release to follow.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Wiener is also pushing new legislation — called the No Kings Act — that would allow people in California to sue federal agents for violating their rights.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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McCarthy warned that being too quick to bring untested criminal cases against political adversaries risks damaging institutional legitimacy regardless of which party is in power.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Feb. 2026
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This will keep other items from damaging the leather, as well as keep it dust free.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalizing. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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