infect

verb in·fect \ in-ˈfekt \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of infect

transitive verb

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

2 a : 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)

3 a : 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

—

infector

play \in-ˈfek-tər\ noun

See infect defined for English-language learners

See infect defined for kids

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 of infect from the Web

Justis's body was covered with cuts, scars, and burns from head to toe, and his open wounds were deeply infected.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Couple charged with murder in death of boy brought to hospital with horrific injuries," 11 Apr. 2018
There’s a long list of teams with this losing mentality, including the Marlins, because baseball is infected almost beyond repair.

— dave hyde, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Hyde: The Heat are facing a holy war against Philadelphia | Commentary," 7 Apr. 2018
This quarantine is intended to protect the onion-growing producers from a disease called white rot whose sclerotia could be carried by surface water to irrigation water, infecting fields to the southwest.

— margaret lauterbach, idahostatesman, "Check on the health of your rose bushes and climbers | Idaho Statesman," 4 Apr. 2018
While only one cat has tested positive, health officials said there were other domestic and wild animals and feral cats in the area that may be infected.

— steven goode, courant.com, "New Britain Health Officials: Deceased Feral Cat Tests Positive For Rabies," 3 Apr. 2018
But there were pitfalls along the way, such as when Qian Qian gets infected from a bite.

— susan king, latimes.com, "Imax's 'Pandas' tracks China's efforts to release pandas back in to the wild," 2 Apr. 2018
Muneza also wonders if other animal species can be infected.

— robert montgomery, National Geographic, "Mysterious Giraffe Disease Has Scientists Baffled," 30 Mar. 2018
In 1918-19, one third of the people in the world were affected, with 50 million dying from the virus, which accounted for 10 percent of those infected.

— kitty leshay, Courant Community, "The Mill: More Than A Museum," 27 Mar. 2018
Most people don’t even know they are infected, but 15 percent can develop serious illness and as many as 60 percent of those who do get severely ill will die.

— NBC News, "Don't go to Brazil without a yellow fever vaccine, CDC warns," 16 Mar. 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.