vandalize

verb

van·​dal·​ize ˈvan-də-ˌlīz 

vandalized; vandalizing

transitive verb

: to subject to vandalism : damage

vandalization

ˌvan-də-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Did you know?

At one point in Frodo’s journey in The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien depicts an ancient statue overlooking a crossroads: “Its head was gone, and in its place was set in mockery a round rough-hewn stone, rudely painted … in the likeness of a grinning face with one large red eye in the midst of its forehead.” The statue had been vandalized by orcs, but the roots of vandalize have more in common with the name of a Tolkien hero. Vandalize comes from the noun vandal, which was originally capitalized and referred to a member of a Germanic people who lived south of the Baltic Sea and sacked Rome in the year 455 CE. This sacking is what likely led to the use of the lower-case vandal for someone who damages or destroys property. The Late Latin word for such a Vandal was Vandalī, a word probably borrowed from a Germanic verb meaning “wend, turn” that also gave rise to the Old English Ēarendel, the name of a mythological figure that inspired Tolkien’s creation of Eärendil, a mariner who wends his way across the sky of Middle Earth carrying the morning star.

Synonyms

• deface
• trash

Examples of vandalize in a Sentence

Our car was vandalized in the parking lot.

he decided to vandalize the store because the owner had kicked him out

Recent Examples on the Web

So to presume that governments can form central banks that will in turn fund governments vandalizes common sense. —John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

This is also not the first time Acker was personally attacked, with his law firm vandalized with pro-Palestinian messages back in June. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 9 Dec. 2024

This war started on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants led an invasion into sovereign Israeli territory and proceeded to murder, rape, mutilate, vandalize, and commit other inhumane acts. —John Spencer, Foreign Affairs, 18 Nov. 2024

Clashes lead to 'hit-and-run' attacks Holla said the clashes began on Wednesday night, when Maccabi supporters vandalized a taxi and a Palestinian flag was set on fire in Dam Square. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 8 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

vandal + -ize

First Known Use

1832, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

vandalize

verb

van·​dal·​ize ˈvan-dᵊl-ˌīz 

vandalized; vandalizing

: to destroy or damage property on purpose

Legal Definition

vandalize

transitive verb

van·​dal·​ize ˈvand-ᵊl-ˌīz 

vandalized; vandalizing

: to subject to vandalism