deface
verb (used with object)
to mar the surface or appearance of; disfigure.
had defaced
-
past perfectof deface.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Investigators determined that someone had defaced the box after it had been mailed to the office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2023
It was not immediately clear who had defaced the entrance to the building.
From Reuters ● Oct. 14, 2023
Someone had defaced a “Long live Maduro” sign, replacing the President’s name with “hunger.”
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 3, 2019
After bashing through the plaque, Clay called the Los Angeles Police Department and told officers he had defaced the president’s star on Hollywood Boulevard near Highland Avenue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2018
The old schoolhouse is altered some; The benches are replaced By new ones very like the same Our jackknives had defaced.
From McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader by William Holmes McGuffey
