(initial capital letter) a member of a Germanic people who in the 5th century a.d. ravaged Gaul and Spain, settled in Africa, and in a.d. 455 sacked Rome.
a person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Vandals.
imbued with or characterized by vandalism.
First recorded in 1545–55, vandal is from the Late Latin word Vandalus, Latinized tribal name
A vandal is someone who harms or destroys other people's property. Someone who paints graffiti on your door is a vandal. Vandalizing is the damaging of someone else's possessions or property. A person who vandalizes is a vandal. A vandal doesn't steal, but they reduce the value of what someone owns by harming it. Vandals slash tires and key cars. Vandals paint on buildings. Vandals break windows. A vandal might have a grudge against a particular person, or sometimes teenagers become vandals out of boredom. The worst kind of vandal might be the kind who desecrates tombstones.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Often described as "elusive" and "secretive" by the press, the "guerrilla street artist" is a hero to some and a vandal to others.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
His ability to freely make art without being punished as a vandal by authorities could be hampered now that he’s recognizable as Gunningham, or Jones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
The mysterious case of a chain-saw-wielding vandal who appeared to randomly terrorize trees in and around downtown Los Angeles last year has come to an anticlimactic close.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2026
Early Tuesday morning, Brittain blamed “a copyright vandal who doesn’t actually have any right to remove any of this material,” claiming that a “third party” activist affiliated with a video-tracking company was behind the takedown.
From Slate ● Feb. 7, 2024
Dad had also combed his hair and put on his wire-rimmed glasses, so he came off more like a college professor than a boat vandal.
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
The name of the memorial refers to the nickname given the school’s sports teams, “The Vandals,” and its mascot, Joe Vandal.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
Early next year, the family will travel to Australia for an eight-week solo exhibition starting on 15 January in Sydney's Vandal Gallery, which specialises in showcasing progressive art.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2023
As expected, WSU’s talent-packed defensive front harassed the Vandal offense throughout the night.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2022
Now the bat boys and clubbies report to him and assistant manager Jose “Peps” Castillo, who like Vandal has a B.A. — in criminal justice from Cal State L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2021
He was a dark-faced man; his skin, perhaps from sun, was a black red, as though some Norse or perhaps Vandal blood was perpetuated in him.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
President Donald Trump has blamed vandals for damage to newly applied coating on the bottom of the pool.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The new 6th Street Bridge, hailed as a civic landmark just steps away, was promptly stripped of its wiring by vandals and now sits pitch black at night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Former canoe racer David Hearn is accused of pulling at a layer of peeling sealant used in a renovation project that President Trump had personally championed and later claimed was targeted by vandals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
On Tuesday, TMZ posted a video of workers putting up fencing around the pool, ostensibly to protect it from vandals.
From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026
Perhaps the vandals were already there and had taken over his aunty’s hut with the corrugated iron roof.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
