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
• conduct
• defile
• dirty
• transfuse
• soil
• besmirch
• transfer
• sully
• stain
• rot
• smudge
• blacken
• befoul
• dilute
• foul up
• muddy
• disseminate
• adulterate
• propagate
• mire
• smirch
• diffuse
• doctor
• 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 addition, for people who do get infected with COVID, Paxlovid may be prescribed for those with moderate or mild symptoms who may be at risk of more severe disease. — Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Sep. 2026

Wardle found that a simple variation of ClickFix attack—a technique that has become remarkably effective in tricking people into infecting their devices—is all that’s required for an attacker to take control of a Muse account. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026

The same year, scientists swabbed a roadkill badger and discovered it was infected with plague. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Since 1980, 17 people in California have been infected with rabies, most recently in 2024, state health data shows. — The Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026