defacing 1 of 2

noun

as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property the neo-Nazis' defacing of the synagogue was condemned by the entire community

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

defacing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of deface
1
as in vandalizing
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property the principal vowed to get the punks who defaced the statue in front of the school

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in marring
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of years of wear had defaced the fine engraving on the coins

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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 defacing
Noun
The investigation into the racist defacing of the black professors’ portraits at Harvard Law School in 2015 continues into an eleventh year with no resolution and no suspects. — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
Trump, in one of his Truth Social posts, cited laws against defacing monuments as grounds for imprisoning anyone harming the pool. — Nathan Ellgren, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026 Two men from Germany were arrested after being accused of defacing a pride bench in Miami Beach with antisemitic symbols on Monday. — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 19 May 2026 No one in Florida had been charged with criminal mischief for defacing a traffic control device until the August arrests. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2026 An inflatable effigy depicting Trump defacing the Constitution made its way through the crowd. — Nik Popli, Time, 28 Mar. 2026 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 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 Sohail faces federal charges of intentionally defacing or damaging religious real property, which carries a maximum three years behind bars. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 2 Mar. 2026 Assembly and free-speech rights would not protect defacing government property, such as barricades. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacing
  1. vandalism
  2. vandalizing
  3. marring
  4. vandalization
  5. destroying
  6. damaging
  7. destruction
  8. demolishing
Noun
  • However, people can still face vandalism, tampering, trespass or theft allegations, the Santa Ana law firm said.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • This is unlike home insurance, which covers environmental damage, theft and vandalism.
    — Alora Bopray, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of vandalism
Verb
  • Surveillance video appears to show the man vandalizing the statue and then entering the SEPTA 5th Street station through the southeast stairs.
    — Laura Fay, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Trump blamed the sealant issues on vandalism without providing evidence, and felony charges were brought against a former Olympic canoeist, David Hearn, after he was accused of vandalizing the pool.
    — Matthew Daly, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of vandalizing
Verb
  • To prevent a similar war from happening again, Menelaus scarred her face, permanently marring her famous beauty.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
    — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of marring
Noun
  • Riverside has both a community center named for Chavez and a bronze statue — often the target of vandalization — on the Main Street pedestrian mall in the city’s downtown.
    — Ryan Carter, Daily News, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.
    — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Definition of vandalization
Verb
  • Pumping at high speeds creates a suction vortex (upconing) that violently draws heavy sludge into the production stream, fouling piping and destroying surface pumps.
    — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The tornado wreaked havoc in the village of 1,000 inhabitants, reducing homes to rubble and destroying numerous cars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Prosecutors have also charged him with making false statements to investigators about allegedly damaging Mica’s car tires.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Russian drones hit three major distribution centers, destroying depots belonging to a toy store chain and a confectionery company, and damaging another run by an electronics retailer, the companies said.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of damaging
Noun
  • The deadly wall of water that descended from the mountains on the border between Nepal and Tibet caused destruction at least 62 miles downriver from the border in Nepal, an ABC News analysis of verified video and satellite images shows.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has also promoted the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities and navy, and the reduction in missile and drone capabilities, as measures of success.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of destruction
Verb
  • As community members organized marches and protests, Abdeen helped bring a class-action lawsuit against the city, arguing that demolishing the neighborhood would violate residents’ civil rights.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has faced widespread criticism for demolishing the East Wing of the White House to make room for the grand ballroom design.
    — Callum Sutherland, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolishing

Browse Nearby Words

defaces
defacing
de facto
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Cite this Entry

“Defacing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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