as in to poison
to pass something harmful (such as a disease) to someone or something else
If you come to work when you're sick, you'll infect everyone in the office.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of infect
In the final scene, Spike is attacked on a road by a bunch of infected but is saved by a group of blond-haired strangers, and that's where the unnerving Sir Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell) introduces himself.
—
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 June 2025
What exactly do the infected do with healthy human babies, and how do the infants stay healthy in the first place?
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 June 2025
Advertisement Train to Busan (2016) The zombie virus infected South Korean cinemas in the 2010s, resulting in one of the best modern zombie films, Train to Busan.
—James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
Even since the civil rights movement, which culminated in sweeping federal legislation prohibiting discrimination, the pernicious virus of bias infects too many institutions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 June 2025
What exactly do the infected do with healthy human babies, and how do the infants stay healthy in the first place?
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 20 June 2025
Advertisement Train to Busan (2016) The zombie virus infected South Korean cinemas in the 2010s, resulting in one of the best modern zombie films, Train to Busan.
—James Grebey, Time, 20 June 2025
Even since the civil rights movement, which culminated in sweeping federal legislation prohibiting discrimination, the pernicious virus of bias infects too many institutions.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect
Verb
-
Still, no amount of artistic success could heal the rift that had poisoned the group.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
-
The press, like the government and the judiciary, is part of a system that’s poisoned from within.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that campylobacter is a type of bacteria that causes diarrheal illness and is usually transmitted through undercooked meat, contaminated food or water, or contact with animals.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
-
In April, her gym water bottle was allegedly contaminated with cyanide and thallium after her car was broken into, prosecutors said, according to WKOW.—
Samira Asma-Sadeque,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
-
Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
-
The same contaminants that are fouling the lagoon are seeping into Florida’s drinking water supply.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 June 2025
-
With the bases loaded and two outs, Garrett reached a 2-2 count against Ozuna, who had just fouled off a splitter at the bottom of the zone.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share