Legal Definitions - defile

Defile means to make something dirty or to dishonor it. It can also mean to make something ceremonially unclean or to morally corrupt someone. In the past, it was used to mean to deprive someone of their chastity.

• The hikers defiled the beautiful forest by leaving their trash everywhere.
• The politician's scandal defiled his reputation and made people lose trust in him.
• The vandals defiled the church by spray-painting graffiti on the walls.

These examples illustrate how defile can refer to physical, moral, or ceremonial pollution or corruption. In the first example, the hikers made the forest dirty by leaving their trash behind. In the second example, the politician's scandal tarnished his reputation and made people lose respect for him. In the third example, the vandals desecrated the church by spray-painting graffiti on its walls.