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

Earth Day environmental activists defaced Lower Manhattan’s iconic Charging Bull statue Tuesday, then rushed to clean it up before cops arrived, officials said. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025

Vandals defaced private buses that whisked workers to Silicon Valley. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2025

Opposition lawmakers have accused Yoon of inciting his most extreme followers to violence, after a pro-Yoon mob stormed and defaced the courthouse that issued his arrest warrant in January. —Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2025

Previous Just Stop Oil actions have included defacing Stonehenge and targeting Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery in London. —Angelica Villa, ARTnews.com, 28 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for deface

• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase
• braincase
• briefcase
• carcase

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