VANDALIZING Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

vandalizing

verb

present participle of vandalize

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 vandalizing 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 The Guardian identified at least 33 cases of people vandalizing and destroying Flock cameras. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 The clash followed Pirro’s decision to drop a felony case accusing a former Olympic canoeist of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a source. — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026 After initially moving to dismiss the high-profile vandalism case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, Pirro’s office also dismissed charges against three others who had been accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026 On Friday, Pirro submitted a court filing moving to dismiss the indictment against David Hearn, a former Olympian who was charged earlier in the month for vandalizing the reflecting pool. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026 But, rather than vandalizing the corporate website, or holding valuable data for ransom—actions typical of human hackers—the adversary began ransacking the company’s servers in search of an answer key for a list of test questions. — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 The Irvine Police Department has arrested a man suspected of vandalizing 13 Teslas with spray paint this month. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalizing

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

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

Definition of defacing

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

Verb

Bland said officers were dispatched after a 911 caller reported that Garcia had been walking down the street with a baseball bat, smashing car windows.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
Nvidia guided for 70% revenue growth in fiscal-year 2028, smashing estimates of 40%.

— Benzinga, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of smashing

Verb

For a full breakdown of how to clean your bedding without ruining it, refer to AD's guide on how to wash a comforter.

— Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 24 Aug. 2026
This allegedly caused the cancellation of school recesses, and also ruining weddings and funerals.

— Finnegan Belleau, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of ruining

Verb

From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool.

— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, McFarland—whose channel has nearly five million of those followers—is trashing the thing.

— Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 30 July 2026

Definition of trashing

Verb

The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.

— ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of violating

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

Browse Nearby Words

vandalizes

vandalizing

vandals

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of vandalizing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes