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.
But the unexpected appearance of his father at the scene is, to judge by the coiled anger on Holland’s face, as if someone had defaced one of his works with an alien hue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2024
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
She had interfered with it; she had defaced it.
From Tales of Unrest by Joseph Conrad
