deface
Verb
Verb Forms: defaced, defacing, defaces
- To spoil the surface or appearance of something.
- mar or spoil the appearance of
- "scars defaced her cheeks"
- To damage or vandalize something, especially a surface, in a visible or conspicuous manner.
- To void or devalue; to nullify or degrade the face value of.
- To alter a coat of arms or a flag by adding an element to it.
Examples
- After the painting was defaced a decade ago, it went viral and has been a tourist attraction ever since.
- Writing on the game board would deface it, making it unplayable for future rounds.
- You get the Finnish state flag by defacing the national flag with the state coat of arms placed in the middle of the cross.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English defacen, from Old French defacier, desfacier (“to mutilate, destroy, disfigure”), from des- (“away from”) (see dis-) + Late Latin facia.
Synonyms
blemish, disfigure, befoul, besmirch, blight, cancel, contaminate, contort, damage, deface, defame, defile, deform, demolish, destroy, destruct, devalue, devastate, dilapidate, disgrace, distort, harm, impair, injure, maim, mangle, mar, mutilate, nullify, obliterate, pollute, ruin, scar, scath, scathe, scratch, shend, soil, spoil, stain, sully, taint, tarnish, trash, uglify, undermine, vandalize, void, worsen, wreck
Scrabble Score: 12
deface: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Worddeface: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
deface: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary