vandalizing

verb

present participle of vandalize
as in destroying
to deliberately cause the damage or destruction of another's property he decided to vandalize the store because the owner had kicked him out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 vandalizing Surveillance video appears to show the man vandalizing the statue and then entering the SEPTA 5th Street station through the southeast stairs. — Laura Fay, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Trump blamed the sealant issues on vandalism without providing evidence, and felony charges were brought against a former Olympic canoeist, David Hearn, after he was accused of vandalizing the pool. — Matthew Daly, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026 The Guardian identified at least 33 cases of people vandalizing and destroying Flock cameras. — N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 The clash followed Pirro’s decision to drop a felony case accusing a former Olympic canoeist of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to a source. — Daniela Suarez, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026 After initially moving to dismiss the high-profile vandalism case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, Pirro’s office also dismissed charges against three others who had been accused of vandalizing the Reflecting Pool. — Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026 On Friday, Pirro submitted a court filing moving to dismiss the indictment against David Hearn, a former Olympian who was charged earlier in the month for vandalizing the reflecting pool. — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 3 Aug. 2026 But, rather than vandalizing the corporate website, or holding valuable data for ransom—actions typical of human hackers—the adversary began ransacking the company’s servers in search of an answer key for a list of test questions. — Stephen Witt, New Yorker, 30 July 2026 The Irvine Police Department has arrested a man suspected of vandalizing 13 Teslas with spray paint this month. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vandalizing
  1. destroying
  2. defacing
  3. demolishing
  4. smashing
  5. ruining
  6. trashing
  7. violating
  8. damaging
Verb
  • Demonstrators carrying Spanish flags moved toward beachside migrant camps last week, destroying shelters and setting fires as police attempted to keep protesters and migrants apart, according to Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE and news agency EFE.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Several homeowners near Meta’s massive Newton County data center have filed a lawsuit accusing the tech company and others of tainting their water and destroying their rural way of life.
    — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Trump, in one of his Truth Social posts, cited laws against defacing monuments as grounds for imprisoning anyone harming the pool.
    — Nathan Ellgren, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2026
  • Two men from Germany were arrested after being accused of defacing a pride bench in Miami Beach with antisemitic symbols on Monday.
    — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Definition of defacing
Verb
  • Mansfield Timberview signaled state-title ambitions by demolishing West Mesquite 69-7, while White Settlement Brewer knocked off Class 6A Haltom 31-14 to open Class 5A play.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Aug. 2026
  • While members of the public and the architectural community have criticized the Rike Tubes for altering the character of Tbilisi’s historic old town, some favored relocating them to a more suitable setting rather than demolishing them.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of demolishing
Verb
  • Bland said officers were dispatched after a 911 caller reported that Garcia had been walking down the street with a baseball bat, smashing car windows.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Nvidia guided for 70% revenue growth in fiscal-year 2028, smashing estimates of 40%.
    — Benzinga, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of smashing
Verb
  • The Horned Frogs crushed the Tar Heels 48-14 in last year’s season opener at Chapel Hill, ruining the college coaching debut of six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026
  • So, are invasives ruining the state’s waters, or is the state on the way to becoming the everyman’s Amazon, embraced by the folks who can’t afford the jungle lodge experience?
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruining
Verb
  • From trashing bedrooms and throwing couches, the pair tumbles down stairs and has a chase across the lawn before ending up in the pool.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, McFarland—whose channel has nearly five million of those followers—is trashing the thing.
    — Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 30 July 2026
Definition of trashing
Verb
  • The Seoul Central District Court convicted Han, widow of church founder Sun Myung Moon, of violating the political funds act, bribery and embezzling church funds, the court said in a statement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The bill also increases the maximum penalties for violating local fireworks ordinances to $1,000 for a first offense, $2,000 for a second offense and $5,000 for each additional offense within five years of the first.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of violating
Verb
  • Importantly, all of this imaging was possible without damaging Scotty’s priceless fossils.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Smaller glass shards likely won’t cause symptoms, but bigger pieces with sharp edges run the risk of damaging the throat, stomach and intestines, according to the National Capital Poison Center.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of damaging

Browse Nearby Words

vandalizes
vandalizing
vandals
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Cite this Entry

“Vandalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vandalizing. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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