as in defacers
a person who damages or destroys property on purpose
a group of vandals broke into the school and painted graffiti on the walls
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Recent Examples of vandals
The masked vandals appeared on campus overnight, using a power tool to cut them down.
—
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
The site attracted vandals and groups of as many as 40 loiterers at a time before its parking lot was fenced off.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
Whether the cleaning and maintenance serves as a long-term deterrent to vandals and other trespassers remains to be seen.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
In 2024, the unfinished towers became a major downtown eyesore after graffiti vandals covered at least 25 floors, followed by dangerous stunts including base jumping that were captured on video and widely shared on social media.
—City News Service, Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Somehow, sources said, the vandals also damaged a master door controller — the control panel that allows a train operator or conductor to open and close the train’s doors.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
The mural can't be covered with anti-graffiti coating until it's completely finished, so Act 4 SA plans to install cameras and lights to deter potential vandals until then.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Feb. 2026
If caught, the vandals could face serious consequences.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Over the next two months or so, work will focus inside the 190,000-square-foot, bunker-like structure — vacant for nearly two decades and long the target of vandals and the object of thieves who stripped the concrete structure of anything of value.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2026
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
The site attracted vandals and groups of as many as 40 loiterers at a time before its parking lot was fenced off.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 3 Mar. 2026
Whether the cleaning and maintenance serves as a long-term deterrent to vandals and other trespassers remains to be seen.
—Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
In 2024, the unfinished towers became a major downtown eyesore after graffiti vandals covered at least 25 floors, followed by dangerous stunts including base jumping that were captured on video and widely shared on social media.
—City News Service, Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
Somehow, sources said, the vandals also damaged a master door controller — the control panel that allows a train operator or conductor to open and close the train’s doors.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
The mural can't be covered with anti-graffiti coating until it's completely finished, so Act 4 SA plans to install cameras and lights to deter potential vandals until then.
—Annasofia Scheve, San Antonio Express-News, 3 Feb. 2026
If caught, the vandals could face serious consequences.
—Outside, 27 Jan. 2026
Over the next two months or so, work will focus inside the 190,000-square-foot, bunker-like structure — vacant for nearly two decades and long the target of vandals and the object of thieves who stripped the concrete structure of anything of value.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandals. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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