Standard Lemma guide

vandalise

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈvændəlaɪz/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To needlessly destroy or deface other people’s property or public property; to commit vandalism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

destroy wantonly, as through acts of vandalism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • vandalize the park

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: vandalize

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destroy, ruin

Narrower terms: key

History

Etymology

From vandal + -ise.

Across languages

Translations

28 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 破壞 /破坏 (pòhuài) — to needlessly destroy
  • Cornish: vandalisa — to needlessly destroy
  • Danish: vandalisere — to needlessly destroy
  • Estonian: vandaalitsema — to needlessly destroy
  • Faroese: gera herverk — to needlessly destroy
  • Finnish: vandalisoida — to needlessly destroy
  • Finnish: tärvellä — to needlessly destroy
  • French: vandaliser — to needlessly destroy
  • German: vandalisieren — to needlessly destroy
  • German: mutwillig zerstören — to needlessly destroy
  • Greek: βανδαλίζω (vandalízo) — to needlessly destroy
  • Interlingua: vandalisar — to needlessly destroy
  • Italian: vandalizzare — to needlessly destroy
  • Japanese: 打ち壊す (buchikowasu) — to needlessly destroy
  • Māori: takakino — to needlessly destroy
  • Norwegian: vandalisere — to needlessly destroy
  • Polish: wandalizować — to needlessly destroy
  • Polish: zwandalizować — to needlessly destroy
  • Portuguese: vandalizar — to needlessly destroy
  • Russian: разруша́ть (razrušátʹ) — to needlessly destroy
  • Russian: разру́шить (razrúšitʹ) — to needlessly destroy
  • Spanish: vandalizar — to needlessly destroy
  • Swedish: vandalisera — to needlessly destroy
  • Thai: ทําลาย (tam-laai) — to needlessly destroy
  • Tibetan: གཅག་གཏོར་བྱས (gcag gtor byas) — to needlessly destroy
  • Turkish: vandalize etmek — to needlessly destroy
  • Volapük: vandalön — to needlessly destroy
  • Welsh: fandaleiddio — to needlessly destroy