noun
vandal
VAN-dul/ˈvændl/
A person who deliberately damages or defaces property.
The vandal deliberately breaks the public bench.
Etymology
Vandalus named a member of the people who sacked Rome. Their name became a term for a willful destroyer of beautiful or venerable things, leading to the current property-damage sense.
In context
fargo police are asking for your help in identifying a vandal uh this person vandalized a statue outside of saint mary's cathedral
More examples
- The park repaired damage caused by vandals.
- The camera recorded a vandal defacing the wall.
- Volunteers removed the vandal’s graffiti.
Forms
vandal · vandals
vandalism noun — deliberate damage to property
Similar words
- defacer
- A defacer spoils a surface’s appearance; a vandal can destroy or damage property more broadly.
- thief
- A thief takes property; a vandal deliberately damages it, whether or not anything is stolen.