vandalism
Americannoun
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deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property.
vandalism of public buildings.
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the conduct or spirit characteristic of the Vandals.
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willful or ignorant destruction of artistic or literary treasures.
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a vandalic act.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of vandalism
Explanation
Vandalism is the destruction of someone else's property. Some people think of graffiti as public art, while others dismiss it as nothing but vandalism. If you damage public or private property on purpose, you've committed the crime of vandalism. The range of vandalism can vary from carving your initials in a desk at school to tearing pages out of a library book to breaking windows of a building. The word vandal comes from the Vandals, the Germanic tribe that attacked Rome in 455. The tribe's name meant "wanderer," but the word vandal was used in the 1600s to mean "destroyer of what is beautiful."
Vocabulary lists containing vandalism
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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.
If it doesn’t involve unlawful activity, such as impeding people from entering or exiting the restaurants or vandalism, then it enjoys legal protection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Authorities have acknowledged security and intelligence failures that enabled the clashes, looting and vandalism that erupted on October 17.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The demonstrations drew large crowds, but a stronger police presence helped limit vandalism and property damage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
Michael Ray Gonzales, 40, of Pico Rivera was charged with seven counts of felony vandalism.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Last night he arrested a suspect in the vandalism at the construction site.”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
