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deface

[ dih-feys ]
/ dɪˈfeɪs /
||

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.

RELATED WORDS

vandalize, obliterate, demolish, sully, harm, blemish, disfigure, injure, tarnish, scratch, ruin, wreck, damage, distort, impair, contort, spoil, destroy, trash, mangle

Nearby words

  1. deesis,
  2. deet,
  3. deets,
  4. def,
  5. def.,
  6. defacement,
  7. defaecate,
  8. defalcate,
  9. defalcation,
  10. defamation

Origin of deface

1275–1325; Middle English defacen < Old French desfacier, equivalent to des- dis-1 + facier (face face + -ier infinitive suffix)
SYNONYMS FOR deface
1. spoil. See mar.
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for defacing

British Dictionary definitions for defacing

deface

/ (dɪˈfeɪs) /

verb

(tr) to spoil or mar the surface, legibility, or appearance of; disfigure
Derived Formsdefaceable, 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
Word Origin and History for defacing

deface

v.

mid-14c., "to obliterate," from Old French desfacier "mutilate, destroy, disfigure," from des- "away from" (see dis-) + Vulgar Latin *facia (see face (n.)). Weaker sense of "to mar, make ugly" is late 14c. in English. Related: Defaced; defacing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper