as in poisoned
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 infected
If a houseplant is infected with thrips, isolate it immediately.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
Kansas had an outbreak last year, which infected 90.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
And you can be infected multiple times in your life.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Mar. 2026
How do banks and credit unions know their ATMs have been infected?
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infected
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 3 Mar. 2026
Kansas had an outbreak last year, which infected 90.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
And you can be infected multiple times in your life.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 3 Mar. 2026
How do banks and credit unions know their ATMs have been infected?
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infected
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infected
Verb
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Other witnesses could include relatives of the defendant and her late husband, and friends of Eric Richins who have recounted phone conversations from the day prosecutors say he was first poisoned by his wife of nine years.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Turns out, Chris lied about touching a stone mid-play and has quietly poisoned every victory and memory the team has enjoyed since.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trader Joe’s, Ralphs and others have recalled some frozen food products amid concerns they may be contaminated with glass.—
Iris Kwok,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
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This level of cleaning is most important to do when someone is ill or when surfaces may be contaminated with disease-causing pathogens.—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Marquette’s Chase Ross won the battle for the loose ball and got fouled with one second left.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
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But Florida caught a break when officials missed guard Urban Klavzar stepping out of bounds while passing to Boogie Fland (who Kentucky subsequently fouled).—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Because the Republican Party and the conservative movement have both been so deeply corrupted.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2026
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But, if the release of the Epstein files has accomplished anything, it’s been to demonstrate how, on both sides of the Atlantic, systems corrupted by money are ripe for reform.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infected. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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