Synonyms of infect

infect

verb

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

• poison
• contaminate
• spoil
• foul
• give
• corrupt
• transmit
• pollute
• communicate
• impart
• spread
• taint
• convey
• dirty
• conduct
• defile
• transfuse
• soil
• besmirch
• stain
• transfer
• smudge
• sully
• rot
• blacken
• befoul
• dilute
• foul up
• muddy
• disseminate
• adulterate
• propagate
• mire
• doctor
• diffuse
• smirch
• water down
• grime
• begrime
• broadcast
• hand down
• hand on
• deliver
• hand over
• turn over
• surrender

Dissimilar Words

• sterilize
• purify
• catch
• disinfect
• come down (with)
• clean
• contract
• sanitize
• clarify
• decontaminate
• cleanse
• purge
• clear
• filter
• distill

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of infect

In later iterations, Reihana retitled the panorama In Pursuit of Venus [infected], for the astronomy project and rape joke at the heart of wallpaper’s story. — Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026

In 2021, researchers discovered ILObleed, a malicious implant that infected HPE servers with wiper firmware that destroyed data stored on hard drives. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026

Counting What Was Never Counted Case investigators can only trace a patient back to whoever infected them if that person was caught by surveillance too. — John Drake, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

What to know about rabbit fever Caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis, the disease commonly infects rabbits, hares and rodents. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026