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
Min has faced a barrage of attacks related to his DUI arrest last year and last month had his campaign signs defaced with anti-Asian slurs.
—
Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
Someone had carved the name of a man—one of the house’s former owners—upside down, a superstitious practice of cursing someone by defacing their name.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Unity of Fields also published photos showing the campus of UMass Amherst defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 11 Oct. 2024
During the protest, some of the university’s historic sandstone buildings were defaced with graffiti.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deface 
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Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024
Someone had carved the name of a man—one of the house’s former owners—upside down, a superstitious practice of cursing someone by defacing their name.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Nov. 2024
Unity of Fields also published photos showing the campus of UMass Amherst defaced with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 11 Oct. 2024
During the protest, some of the university’s historic sandstone buildings were defaced with graffiti.
—Ryan MacAsero, The Mercury News, 28 Oct. 2024
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 26 Nov. 2024.
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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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