deface
/dɪˈfeɪs
/verb [with object]
Spoil the surface or appearance of (something), for example by drawing or writing on it: he defaced library books...
- We are fighting back against the litter louts, the illegal fly-tippers and fly-posters and the vandals who deface the city with graffiti.
- It may sound obvious but cheque book customers should not deface Irish pound cheques by crossing out the currency sign and writing in a euro sign instead - or vice versa.
- Your eyes glow every single morning, and you're always smiling; you doodle both your names in all the books, even deface public property.
Synonyms
vandalize, disfigure, mar, spoil, ruin, deform, sully, tarnish, damage;
injure, uglify, blight, blemish, impair
informal tag, trash
Derivatives
defacement
/ noun ...- The reaction generally to the defacement must surely have sent a clear message to the vandals, and the last thing one need do is to pander to them.
- Reported death threats, defacements and incidents have yet to produce a single major prosecution.
- According to Moore, the chalkings qualify as defacement of property and harassing and intimidating behavior, both of which are violations of the Student Code of Conduct.
defacer
- High on the list of defacers are cinema posters swamping flyover pillars and walls.
- The abuse and ignorance we deal with from defacers and defacement victims is staggering, and some of that abuse spills over into actual attacks.
- Other hackers, most notably the Chaos Computer Club, have criticised The Dispatchers, a loose-knit collective of more than 60 defacers.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French desfacier, from des- (expressing removal) + face 'face'.