deface

verb

de·​face di-ˈfās 

dē-

defaced; defacing; defaces

transitive verb

1

: to mar the appearance of : injure by effacing significant details

deface an inscription

2

: impair

3

obsolete : destroy

defacement

di-ˈfās-mənt 

dē-

noun

defacer noun

Synonyms

• trash
• vandalize

Examples of deface in a Sentence

The building was defaced with graffiti.

He was fined for defacing public property.

Recent Examples on the Web

During the protest, some of the university’s historic sandstone buildings were defaced with graffiti. —Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024

China, Russia and Iran could deface and take down election websites to feed unfounded concerns that votes are being tampered with. —Sam Sabin, Axios, 25 Oct. 2024

Scottsdale police are investigating an incident where a person was caught on camera defacing various political signs. —Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 6 Oct. 2024

Three tourists from Germany have been cited after going on a paintball shooting rampage that defaced road signs, bathrooms and dumpsters throughout Joshua Tree National Park in California, park officials said. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 10 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French *desfacer, *deffacer, from des- de- + face front, face

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

deface

verb

de·​face di-ˈfās 

: to destroy or damage the face or surface of

defacement

-ˈfās-mənt 

noun

defacer noun

Legal Definition

deface

transitive verb

de·​face di-ˈfās 

defaced; defacing

: to destroy or mar the face or surface of

defacement noun

defacer noun