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.
Examples of vandalize in a Sentence
Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2025
Multiple Tesla facilities have recently been targeted by perpetrators setting fires to vehicles and vandalizing buildings.
—Michelle Watson, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
Dallas – March 13 An anonymous victim of a Tesla keying at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, caught on his vehicle's Sentry Mode, is suing the man who allegedly vandalized his car.
—Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Monday’s vandalism was the fourth time in a month someone has vandalized a Tesla found parked on a New York City street in opposition to Musk and his role as head of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency under President Trump, NYPD officials said.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 12 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for vandalize
Cite this Entry
“Vandalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vandalize. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vandalize
verb
Legal Definition
vandalize
transitive verb
Share