vandalize

American  

[van-dl-ahyz] / ˈvæn dlˌaɪz /

especially British, vandalise

verb (used with object)

vandalized, vandalizing

1. to destroy or deface by vandalism.

   Someone vandalized the museum during the night.

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vandalize British  

/ ˈvændəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to destroy or damage (something) by an act of vandalism

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Etymology

Origin of vandalize

First recorded in 1790–1800; vandal + -ize

Explanation

If you vandalize something, you damage or destroy it. Graffiti can be art, but if you spray paint your initials on a marble statue, you vandalize it. Vandalize has an ancient root: the Vandals were a Germanic group of people who famously sacked Rome in 455. Thanks to the terrible destruction they left in their wake, the word took on a meaning of "willful destroyer of what is beautiful." To vandalize is to deliberately damage something that doesn't belong to you. For some, it's a tradition to vandalize whole neighborhoods on the night before Halloween, strewing toilet paper in trees, smashing jack-o'-lanterns, and spray painting property. We recommend just trick-or-treating instead.

Related Words

• deface
• demolish
• raze
• smash
• trash
• wreck