as in vandalization
deliberate damaging or destroying of another's property
anyone guilty of vandalism to university property will be expelled
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of vandalism
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke out against two recent incidents of vandalism at Catholic churches in Queens as the New York City Police Department investigates the mid-March events as hate crimes.
—
Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
The recusal motion is linked to a high-profile felony vandalism case stemming from a June 2024 demonstration in which protesters briefly occupied Stanford University’s executive offices, calling on the school to divest from companies linked to Israel over the war in Gaza.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Note that vandalism is usually excluded, too, but only because homeowner’s insurance will often cover that instead.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
The attack also bears similarities to the tactics of a Russian bad actor group that targeted Russian Wiki pages years ago, suggesting the malicious Javascript originated from a much earlier vandalism campaign.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalism
Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026
The recusal motion is linked to a high-profile felony vandalism case stemming from a June 2024 demonstration in which protesters briefly occupied Stanford University’s executive offices, calling on the school to divest from companies linked to Israel over the war in Gaza.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026
Note that vandalism is usually excluded, too, but only because homeowner’s insurance will often cover that instead.
—Dan Simms, USA Today, 23 Mar. 2026
The attack also bears similarities to the tactics of a Russian bad actor group that targeted Russian Wiki pages years ago, suggesting the malicious Javascript originated from a much earlier vandalism campaign.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for vandalism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalism
Noun
-
Riverside has both a community center named for Chavez and a bronze statue — often the target of vandalization — on the Main Street pedestrian mall in the city’s downtown.—
Ryan Carter,
Daily News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Police said officers from the 116th Precinct had been alerted to the vandalization in the neighborhood and found 11 different police vehicles, both marked and unmarked, with damage.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Sacramento County Parks Department says there's been a big increase in vandalism and destruction of the nature preserve due to unauthorized use of off-road bicycles and e-bikes.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
After the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This can include denial-of-service attacks, in which hackers try to jam a network so legitimate users cannot use it, and website defacements, which can prevent a company from communicating with customers.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The defacements concerned city officials enough that Los Angeles Metro buses with Melania ads have been routed from some neighborhoods into other, presumably Melania-friendlier zones.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Vandalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalism. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
