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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Example Sentences
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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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According to other accounts, some white residents believed Makandal and his allies were behind a plot to poison the water supply in all the houses in the city of Le Cap.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Jan. 2026
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In a recent study, however, researchers at Yale found that interoception helped mice avoid poisoning themselves.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The estimated volume of wastewater contaminating the San Gabriel River is more than 100,000 gallons, per the release.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
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But by then, decades of unregulated waste disposal had contaminated sites all over the country.—
James Salzman,
The Conversation,
5 Jan. 2026
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 11 Jan. 2026.
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