Definition of infest
transitive verb
1 : to spread or swarm in or over in a troublesome manner a slum infested with crime shark-infested waters
2 : to live in or on as a parasite
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Examples of infest in a Sentence
in desperation, we called in an exterminator because the house was infested with ants
Recent Examples of infest from the Web
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The inside of the arch may have been infested with asbestos in a May 14 fire that consumed a warehouse under the bridge and sent heavy smoke through the structure.
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Such weeds are now an enormous problem, infesting roughly 75 million acres of fields, an area roughly equivalent to the size of Arizona.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infest'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of infest
French infester, from Latin infestare, from infestus hostile
First Known Use: 1602
INFEST Defined for English Language Learners
infest
playDefinition of infest for English Language Learners
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of something harmful or unwanted : to be in or over (a place, an animal, etc.) in large numbers
INFEST Defined for Kids
infest
playDefinition of infest for Students
infested
;infesting
: to spread or swarm in or over in a harmful manner Termites infested the tree.
Medical Dictionary
Learn More about infest
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for infest Spanish Central: Translation of infest Nglish: Translation of infest for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of infest for Arabic speakers
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