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
The serial numbers on the AR-15s were defaced, Williams said.
—
Janelle Griffith, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2024
Blue splatters of paint have since come to accompany the mural after it was defaced.
—Rosa Rahimi, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024
What the 37-year-old rapper is pissed about is that this billboard-sized monument to his greatness was defaced.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
The gun’s serial number was defaced, Oyegoke-Olafimihan said.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deface 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Janelle Griffith, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2024
Blue splatters of paint have since come to accompany the mural after it was defaced.
—Rosa Rahimi, CNN, 28 Nov. 2024
What the 37-year-old rapper is pissed about is that this billboard-sized monument to his greatness was defaced.
—Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2024
The gun’s serial number was defaced, Oyegoke-Olafimihan said.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 Nov. 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 27 Dec. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share