defaced; defacing; defaces
1
: to mar the appearance of : injure by effacing significant details
deface an inscription
2
: impair
3
obsolete
: destroy
defacer
noun
Examples of deface in a Sentence
The building was defaced with graffiti.
He was fined for defacing public property.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anti-Black slogans and swastikas defaced a Jewish center, a church, a school and a freeway underpass in 1961.
—
Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
In Sydney, a synagogue was defaced with red swastikas spray painted along the fence, while a day care center was torched and scrawled with antisemitic slurs under the cover of night.
—Victoria Kim, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Two climate protesters defaced Charles Darwin’s grave at London’s Westminster Abbey on Monday, spray painting a pointed message about global warming that has led to criminal charges.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
The grave of British naturalist Charles Darwin was defaced by climate activists from the Just Stop Oil group at London’s Westminster Abbey.
—Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 13 Jan. 2025
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Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025
In Sydney, a synagogue was defaced with red swastikas spray painted along the fence, while a day care center was torched and scrawled with antisemitic slurs under the cover of night.
—Victoria Kim, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Two climate protesters defaced Charles Darwin’s grave at London’s Westminster Abbey on Monday, spray painting a pointed message about global warming that has led to criminal charges.
—Leslie Katz, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
The grave of British naturalist Charles Darwin was defaced by climate activists from the Just Stop Oil group at London’s Westminster Abbey.
—Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for deface
Dictionary Entries Near deface
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deface. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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Legal Definition
deface
transitive verb
de·face
di-ˈfās 
defaced; defacing
: to destroy or mar the face or surface of
defacement
noun
defacer
noun
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