vandal

IPA/ˈvæn.dəl/
KK[vˈændəl]IPA/ˈvæn.dəl/

vandal — noun

  • vandalsingular
  • vandalsplural

1. A person who on purpose breaks, marks, or ruins things owned by other people or

1.nounB1
Definition

A person who on purpose breaks, marks, or ruins things owned by other people or by the public, such as windows, walls, or vehicles.

Example

Police caught the vandal who had spray-painted graffiti on the school walls.

The park bench was broken by a vandal who smashed it with a rock late at night.

passive: object + was broken by a vandal

Common collocations
  • caught a vandal
  • vandals attacked
  • vandal damage
  • vandals spray-painted
  • vandals struck
Synonyms
  • hooligan

    suggests noisy, group violence often at sports or public events, while vandal focuses on property damage

  • delinquent

    broader term for a young person who commits minor crimes, not limited to property damage

  • troublemaker

    general term for someone who causes problems, not specifically about damaging things

Antonyms
  • protector

    someone who guards or looks after property rather than damaging it

Usage Note

Frequently appears in news reports about crime or anti-social behaviour. The related noun vandalism describes the act itself, and the verb vandalize describes the action of destroying property on purpose.

Common Mistakes

The vandal stole my wallet.
The thief stole my wallet.
A vandal damages things but does not necessarily take them.
He was charged with vandal.
He was charged with vandalism.
Vandal is the person; vandalism is the crime.

2. A person from an ancient Germanic people who invaded Roman territory, controlled

2.nounB2
Definition

A person from an ancient Germanic people who invaded Roman territory, controlled areas in what are now southern Europe and northern Africa, and sacked the city of Rome in 455 AD.

Example

The Vandals were a Germanic tribe that crossed into Roman territory in the early 5th century.

passive definition: the Vandals were + noun phrase

Historians describe how the Vandals built a powerful kingdom in North Africa before attacking Rome.

Usage Note

Always capitalised as Vandal or Vandals when referring to the historical group. Distinguish from sense 1 (PROPERTY DAMAGE), which is the ordinary lowercase noun.

Common Mistakes

The vandal tribes invaded Rome.
The Vandal tribes invaded Rome.
The historical group name must be capitalised.
Vandals are people who break things.
Vandals were an ancient Germanic people who invaded Rome.
Without context, 'vandals' (lowercase) means modern property criminals.

vandal — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Vandal, hooligan, delinquent, and troublemaker all refer to people whose behaviour causes problems, but they differ in scope and context. Vandal specifically describes someone who damages property on purpose — the key idea is destruction of things, not violence against people. Hooligan implies noisy, rowdy behaviour in a group, often at sports events or in public spaces, and focuses on disorder rather than property damage. Delinquent is a broader legal and social term for a young person who commits minor crimes, including but not limited to damaging property. Troublemaker is the most general and informal of the four — it can apply to anyone who stirs up conflict or causes difficulty, without specifying what kind of harm they cause. For example, a person who scratches car paint is a vandal; a fan who starts a fight at a football match is a hooligan; a teenager who steals from a shop is a delinquent; and a colleague who spreads gossip is a troublemaker.

vandal ↗hooligan ↗delinquent ↗troublemaker ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • act of vandalism
  • vandal attack
  • vandal damage

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From the Latin name Vandali, which referred to the ancient Germanic tribe that attacked Rome in 455 AD. Because of the tribe's reputation for destroying property during their invasions, their name gradually came to mean anyone who damages things on purpose. The modern meaning first appeared in English during the late 1700s.

First known use

1530

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1