deface
To damage or vandalize something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous mannerTo damage or vandalize something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
Recorded UK: Speaker: Vealhurl Recorder: Vealhurl, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
» It was a sacred mountain before the settler state defaced it.
rul · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRTranslations
5 languagesBy meaning 1
Examples
7 sentencesIt was a sacred mountain before the settler state defaced it.
The monument was defaced.
ruПамятник был осквернён. — Wezel · CC BY 2.0 FR
Vandals defaced the building.
Meaning
3 sensesTo damage or vandalize something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
After the painting was defaced a decade ago, it went viral and has been a tourist attraction ever since.
verunstalten, entstellen
To void or devalue; to nullify or degrade the face value of.
He defaced the I.O.U. notes by scrawling "void" over them.
To alter a coat of arms or a flag by adding an element to it.
You get the Finnish state flag by defacing the national flag with the state coat of arms placed in the middle of the cross.
- mar or spoil the appearance of
Origin
From Middle English defacen, from Old French defacier, desfacier (“to mutilate, destroy, dFrom Middle English defacen, from Old French defacier, desfacier (“to mutilate, destroy, disfigure”), from des- (“away from”) (see dis-) + Late Latin facia.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
defaces, defacing, defaced, defacedTenses
deface · defaced · will deface · have defacedSynonyms
10 synonymsAntonyms
3 antonymsWord family
6 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.