deface

[ dih-feys ]

/ dɪˈfeɪs /

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See synonyms for: deface / defacing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), de·faced, de·fac·ing.

to mar the surface or appearance of; disfigure: to deface a wall by writing on it.

to efface, obliterate, or injure the surface of, as to make illegible or invalid: to deface a bond.

OTHER WORDS FOR deface

1 spoil.

See synonyms for deface on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

TAKE JOY IN ACING THIS QUIZ ON “PRIDE” SYNONYMS

Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

Question 1 of 7

What does "dignity" mean?

showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of deface

1275–1325; Middle English defacen, from Old French desfacier, equivalent to des-dis-¹ + facier (faceface + -ier infinitive suffix)

synonym study for deface

1. See mar.

OTHER WORDS FROM deface

de·face·a·ble, adjectivede·face·ment, nounde·fac·er, nounun·de·face·a·ble, adjective

un·de·faced, adjective

Words nearby deface

deesis, Deet, deets, de-excite, def, deface, de facto, de facto segregation, defaecate, defalcate, defalcation

How to use deface in a sentence

Gang members defaced businesses, schools, parks, churches, and public walls with graffiti.
Los Angeles Had a Chance to Build a Better City After the Rodney King Violence in 1992. Here's Why It Failed|Elizabeth Hinton|May 18, 2021|Time
Imagine how devastating it would have been had the stonework itself been defaced and left in ruins — a universal, visual trope for civilization’s collapse.
Hiking along Virginia’s Aquia Creek and finding history a stone’s throw from home|Walter Nicklin|April 2, 2021|Washington Post
At the event in 2018, one water pipe control system, likely used for a commercial building, had its computer screen defaced with graffiti-type messages.
America’s Drinking Water Is Surprisingly Easy to Poison|by Peter Elkind and Jack Gillum|March 17, 2021|ProPublica
Alas, they have little time to contemplate their momentous finding before their lighting equipment fails and, in the ensuing darkness, they are set upon by an assailant who knocks Henry out, kidnaps Totel and defaces the mural.
‘Mutropolis’: A game definitely worth watching on YouTube|Christopher Byrd|March 12, 2021|Washington Post

There they denounced a statue of Albert Pike, a Confederate general, defaced it, toppled it with ropes and chains and set it ablaze.
Before sports get credit for doing the right thing, remember how long it took to get there|Kevin Blackistone|December 18, 2020|Washington Post
After sneaking in under the cover of night, the vandals chose these symbols to deface.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews Vandalize Jerusalem’s Holocaust Memorial|Alex Klein|June 11, 2012|DAILY BEAST
It was as if Romney had lit his résumé on fire, and had returned to Boston to deface his gubernatorial portrait.
Don't Call Us Mavericks!|Bryan Curtis|April 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
I am famous practise; for there is scarcely a day when I do not deface God's noblest work for others, or they for me.
Chicot the Jester|Alexandre Dumas, Pere
Even the necessary filth of commerce cannot destroy, or scarcely deface the beauty of the country.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
They are the last we shall give to show the extreme wildness and extravagance which deface the drama of Festus.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 67, Number 414, April, 1850|Various
Nor was I willing to deface the pages of the work with explanatory notes.
Vegetable Diet: As Sanctioned by Medical Men, and by Experience in All Ages|William Andrus Alcott
In the sultry season of 1783, honey-dews were so frequent as to deface and destroy the beauties of my garden.
The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 2|Gilbert White

British Dictionary definitions for deface

deface

/ (dɪˈfeɪs) /

verb

(tr) to spoil or mar the surface, legibility, or appearance of; disfigure

Derived forms of deface

defaceable, adjectivedefacement, noundefacer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

deface

OTHER WORDS FOR deface

Origin of deface

synonym study for deface

OTHER WORDS FROM deface

Words nearby deface

Words related to deface

How to use deface in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for deface

Derived forms of deface