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.
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Recent Examples of infect
His eerie behavior soon infects the quiet rhythms of their rural town, sparking paranoia, violence, and death.
—
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Most low-risk people infected with listeria don’t need medical attention, explains Shira Doron, MD, chief infection control officer for Tufts Medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 5 Nov. 2025
For a person infected by HIV at age 35, such costs exceed $326,000.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Some ferrets that drank the raw milk became infected, but none of the ferrets that ate the cheese got sick.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Most low-risk people infected with listeria don’t need medical attention, explains Shira Doron, MD, chief infection control officer for Tufts Medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center.
—wendy Wisner, Parents, 5 Nov. 2025
For a person infected by HIV at age 35, such costs exceed $326,000.
—Amy Maxmen, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Some ferrets that drank the raw milk became infected, but none of the ferrets that ate the cheese got sick.
—Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect
Verb
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The Brit List script, which treads the line between black comedy and drama, is set in the early 20th Century Hungary where a village knitting club takes it upon themselves to poison their abusive husbands with arsenic.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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People who are rude or unaware with receptionists can poison your culture, create unnecessary hierarchies, and drive your best people to leave.—
Jessica Neal,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Epidemiologic and laboratory data has shown that ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula might be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, the germ that causes botulism, the FDA said Tuesday.—
Jacqueline Howard,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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Decades of bombing left Vieques littered with unexploded ordnance and contaminated with heavy metals.—
Israel Melendez Ayala,
Time,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Pluribus crackles with terrific comic tension as Carol wakes up next to her dead partner, filled with grief yet spoiling for a fight.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 Nov. 2025
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Without spoiling too much, the two-minute clip finds Carol weathering ample concern for her less-than-cheery demeanor.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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At that point, the Bucks were forced to foul.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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When Quentin Grimes appeared to have an open fast-break dunk, González raced across the court to foul him at the rim.—
Jay King,
New York Times,
1 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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