infect

verb

in·fect | \ in-ˈfekt

infected; infecting; infects

Definition of infect

transitive verb

1 : to contaminate with a disease-producing substance or agent (such as bacteria)

2a : to communicate a pathogen or a disease to

b of a pathogenic organism : to invade (an individual or organ) usually by penetration

c of a computer virus : to become transmitted and copied to (a device, such as a computer)

3a : contaminate, corrupt the inflated writing that infects such stories

b : to work upon or seize upon so as to induce sympathy, belief, or support trying to infect their salespeople with their enthusiasm

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Examples of infect in a Sentence

If you're sick you should stay home to avoid infecting other people in the office. The virus has infected many people. They were unable to prevent bacteria from infecting the wound. Her enthusiasm has infected everyone. The virus has infected many computers. All the computers in the office were infected by the same virus.

Recent Examples on the Web

A month later, the WannaCry worm repurposed Eternal Blue and ended up infecting computers all over the world in a matter of hours. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Microsoft practically begs Windows users to fix wormable BlueKeep flaw," 31 May 2019 The long answer: Drogo was wounded during a fight with another Khal, dismissed it as a cut, but the wound began to get infected. — Stacey Leasca, Glamour, "All the Game of Thrones Deaths We've Somehow Made It Through," 19 May 2019 This happens when an untreated STI like gonorrhea or chlamydia infects reproductive organs, possibly leading to infertility. — Sophie Saint Thomas, SELF, "Here’s Why Doctors Don’t Usually Test for Herpes," 10 May 2019 Health workers have struggled to get sick people to seek treatment in health centers, resulting in those with Ebola infecting others as a result. — Al-hadji Kudra Maliro, The Seattle Times, "Delayed Congo legislative vote begins in Ebola-hit areas," 31 Mar. 2019 In this case, Russian hackers apparently used VPNFilter malware—the same that infected half a million routers in May—to try to disrupt the operations at the plant, which provides clean water throughout the country. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "Security Roundup: Ukraine Blocked a Russian Hack of Its Critical Infrastructure," 14 July 2018 The losing mentality that infects the clubhouse has recently become obvious by a series of fundamental lapses and defensive breakdowns that almost never showed up during the first five years of the Dan Duquette-Buck Showalter competitive revival. — Peter Schmuck, baltimoresun.com, "Schmuck: During season on the brink, Orioles are losing the head games, too," 14 July 2018 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a popular Kellogg's cereal has been linked to a salmonella outbreak that has infected 100 people in 33 states. — CBS News, "CDC warning on Kellogg's Honey Smacks: "Do not eat this cereal"," 13 July 2018 One cause: Microscopic tracheal mites that infect the breathing tubes of bees, reducing their air flow, making them less efficient workers. — Kevin Davenport, idahostatesman, "Why are these 250,000 bees hanging out on this sweet Downtown Boise rooftop?," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.