To damage or spoil the appearance or surface of something, especially by marking, writing on, or otherwise making it ugly or unreadable.
From Old French desfacier: de- (to undo) + face (from Latin facies 'face, appearance'). The literal meaning 'to undo the face' evolved into 'to damage appearance.'
Graffiti artists technically 'deface' walls, but some cities have discovered that giving them legal walls to paint actually reduces vandalism—they're not trying to ruin things, they're trying to be seen.
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