vandalize

[van-dl-ahyz]

See more synonyms for vandalize on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), van·dal·ized, van·dal·iz·ing.

to destroy or deface by vandalism: Someone vandalized the museum during the night.

Also especially British, van·dal·ise.

Origin of vandalize

First recorded in 1790–1800; vandal + -ize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for vandalize

deface, smash, demolish, wreck, trash, raze, mar, annihilate, ravish, ruin, damage, ravage, despoil, impair, disfigure

Examples from the Web for vandalize

Contemporary Examples of vandalize

As long as we have baby-boomer nostalgia and Internet gossip, the tendencies to idolize or vandalize will be indulged.
Why This Is Baseball’s Golden Age
Michael Brendan Dougherty
April 1, 2013

British Dictionary definitions for vandalize

vandalize

vandalise

verb

(tr) to destroy or damage (something) by an act of vandalism

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 vandalize

by 1797, from vandal + -ize. Related: Vandalized; vandalizing.