as in vandalism
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property
the defacement of the school's property ended up costing hundreds of dollars
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Recent Examples of defacement
Palombo learned of the complete defacement through private messages on his social media channels.
—
Gabriele Regalbuto, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025
After a while, sticky notes appear, written by someone else who’s not exactly pleased about the doodler’s defacement of the only astronomy reference work in the school library.
—Caroline Carlson, Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
The tactics have transcended low-level website defacements and data theft too and now extend to more destructive attacks on systems such as energy grids, gas pipelines, and undersea cables.
—Brian Walsh, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Tuesday’s alert is the latest in what’s been a string of hateful defacements this summer.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defacement
Noun
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Since the Westminster Mall’s more than 40 interior shops closed in late October, the Westminster Police Department has received more than 400 calls about trespassing, vandalism and other illicit activity, with 54 people being arrested on the property now in a holding pattern awaiting redevelopment.—
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Wednesday morning, SacRT alerted riders that a bus bridge was in place along the Gold Line between Sunrise and Historic Folsom due to vandalism.—
Noun
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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.—
Cite this Entry
“Defacement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defacement. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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