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
Sadly, the recent attack on items of veneration at St. Dominic’s Roman Catholic Church in Brooklyn, where statues of Mother Teresa and Pope John XXIII were defaced with a hammer, highlights the double standard of outrage by city and state officials when crimes target the Catholic community.
—
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 June 2024
That’s happened in Texas, too, where a Jewish city council member’s home in Dallas was defaced with bright red graffiti.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
As the homes of Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak and several board members were defaced by pro-Palestinian protesters along with the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, three people splattered paint on the German Consulate at 871 UN Plaza.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024
The student services building was deemed a crime scene by authorities and multiple windows were defaced with messages in red paint.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for deface 
Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 June 2024
That’s happened in Texas, too, where a Jewish city council member’s home in Dallas was defaced with bright red graffiti.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
As the homes of Brooklyn Museum director Anne Pasternak and several board members were defaced by pro-Palestinian protesters along with the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, three people splattered paint on the German Consulate at 871 UN Plaza.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024
The student services building was deemed a crime scene by authorities and multiple windows were defaced with messages in red paint.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for deface
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deface.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deface
Cite this Entry
“Deface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deface. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
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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