Deface
/dɪˈfeɪs/verb
To spoil the surface or appearance of something.
Vandals had defaced the statue in the town square.
Often appears as...
- deface property
- deface a monument
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To remove or cover up (information) in a document.
He defaced the document by scratching out some of the words.
Often appears as...
- deface a document
- deface records
Usage tips
Neutral
Legal
verb
To insult or offend by altering or destroying a symbol.
He was arrested for defacing the national flag.
Often appears as...
- deface a flag
- deface national symbols
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To spoil the surface or appearance of something.
Vandals had defaced the statue in the town square.
Often appears as...
- deface property
- deface a monument
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To remove or cover up (information) in a document.
He defaced the document by scratching out some of the words.
Often appears as...
- deface a document
- deface records
Usage tips
Neutral
Legal
verb
To insult or offend by altering or destroying a symbol.
He was arrested for defacing the national flag.
Often appears as...
- deface a flag
- deface national symbols
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/2Negative Action
Deface conveys a strong negative action often involving public or private property.
The cafe owner was upset to find someone had defaced the mural.
Pro Tip 2/2Irreversible Damage
The act of defacing can sometimes cause permanent damage, affecting the item's value or function.
They defaced the library books so badly they couldn't be borrowed again.
Compare with
damagedefiledisfiguremarmutilateruinspoilwreck
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Video examples
The Artists PIPE Think Like...
There’s a slim margin of time when Hedge can access the paintings. If he were to deface each one with an X, the people would blame the helper-bots, creating just the distraction the team needs. If only it were so easy.
Video examples
Sarah Kurnick: "Aliens...
Should these monuments be left as they are, destroyed or put in museums and what should happen to the protestors who deface these monuments? Should they be praised for helping debunk myths of white supremacy?
Video examples
The Artists PIPE Think Like...
There’s a slim margin of time when Hedge can access the paintings. If he were to deface each one with an X, the people would blame the helper-bots, creating just the distraction the team needs. If only it were so easy.
Video examples
Sarah Kurnick: "Aliens...
Should these monuments be left as they are, destroyed or put in museums and what should happen to the protestors who deface these monuments? Should they be praised for helping debunk myths of white supremacy?
Example 1 of 2
Quote examples
Howard Jacobson
British Novelist
Of my old tendency to overdo the dedication and deface the title page with florid compliments and obscure quotes which the recipient cannot read, I will say only that I learnt my lesson when I had to shell out with my own money for a hardback I'd vandalised and now limit myself to 'Good wishes.
Quote examples
Dmitri Alperovitch
Russian Businessman
It's been really hard to watch the news of this Anonymous and LulzSec stuff because most of what they do - defacing Web sites and running denial-of-service attacks - is not serious. It's really just nuisance.
Quote examples
Michael Moore
American Activist
You need to have a relationship with what you put inside you. I don't want to get all spiritual about this, but I believe our bodies are a gift, and to deface it is disrespectful.
Quote examples
Sitting Bull
Statesman
They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own use, and fence their neighbors away from her, and deface her with their buildings and their refuse.
Quote examples
Francis Bacon
English Philosopher
Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.
Quote examples
Luis Gutierrez
American Politician
If I saw someone in need and I did nothing, I'd be defacing my own humanity.
Quote examples
William Wordsworth
English Poet
Pictures deface walls more often than they decorate them.
Quote examples
Mike Judge
American Producer
She defaced my fly. And I've never been the same since.
Quote examples
Howard Jacobson
British Novelist
Of my old tendency to overdo the dedication and deface the title page with florid compliments and obscure quotes which the recipient cannot read, I will say only that I learnt my lesson when I had to shell out with my own money for a hardback I'd vandalised and now limit myself to 'Good wishes.
Quote examples
Dmitri Alperovitch
Russian Businessman
It's been really hard to watch the news of this Anonymous and LulzSec stuff because most of what they do - defacing Web sites and running denial-of-service attacks - is not serious. It's really just nuisance.
Quote examples
Michael Moore
American Activist
You need to have a relationship with what you put inside you. I don't want to get all spiritual about this, but I believe our bodies are a gift, and to deface it is disrespectful.
Quote examples
Sitting Bull
Statesman
They claim this mother of ours, the Earth, for their own use, and fence their neighbors away from her, and deface her with their buildings and their refuse.
Quote examples
Francis Bacon
English Philosopher
Antiquities are history defaced, or some remnants of history which have casually escaped the shipwreck of time.
Quote examples
Luis Gutierrez
American Politician
If I saw someone in need and I did nothing, I'd be defacing my own humanity.
Quote examples
William Wordsworth
English Poet
Pictures deface walls more often than they decorate them.
Quote examples
Mike Judge
American Producer
She defaced my fly. And I've never been the same since.
Example 1 of 8
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