- (transitive) to spoil or mar the surface, legibility, or appearance of; disfigure
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
de•face /dɪˈfeɪs/USA pronunciation
v. [ ~ + obj], -faced, -fac•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to mar the surface or appearance of, such as by marking;
disfigure:defacing all the posters.
de•face
(di fās′),USA pronunciation v.t., -faced, -fac•ing.
de•face′a•ble, adj.
de•face′ment, n.
de•fac′er, n.
- to mar the surface or appearance of;
disfigure:to deface a wall by writing on it. - to efface, obliterate, or injure the surface of, as to make illegible or invalid:to deface a bond.
- Old French desfacier, equivalent. to des- dis-1 + facier (face face + -ier infinitive suffix)
- Middle English defacen 1275–1325
de•face′ment, n.
de•fac′er, n.
- 1. spoil. See mar.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
deface /dɪˈfeɪs/ vb
'deface' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):