as in poisoning
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 infecting
Measles outbreaks are infecting more people this year than in any year since the early 1990s and have already killed three.
—
Suhail Bhat, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
The researchers had shown in 2023 that parasitic scraps of DNA could spread within bacterial populations by hitching rides on the tails of infecting viruses.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2025
And infecting a living cow is harder, says Robert de Vries, a virologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who was also not involved in the study.
—Chris Simms, Scientific American, 25 Sep. 2025
As Rolling Stone pointed out in August, meme coins have come to represent the logic of meme culture infecting the real world.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s the best way to keep the flies from infecting the fruits.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
These facilities agreed to and completed full cleaning and disinfection procedures to prevent the bacteria from growing and infecting others.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Central America is currently grappling with outbreaks of the destructive pest, which have been threatening livestock and infecting people.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 26 Aug. 2025
The disease can be transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected person, acquiring the parasite, and then bites another person, infecting them.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Suhail Bhat, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
The researchers had shown in 2023 that parasitic scraps of DNA could spread within bacterial populations by hitching rides on the tails of infecting viruses.
—Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 25 Sep. 2025
And infecting a living cow is harder, says Robert de Vries, a virologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, who was also not involved in the study.
—Chris Simms, Scientific American, 25 Sep. 2025
As Rolling Stone pointed out in August, meme coins have come to represent the logic of meme culture infecting the real world.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2025
That’s the best way to keep the flies from infecting the fruits.
—Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
These facilities agreed to and completed full cleaning and disinfection procedures to prevent the bacteria from growing and infecting others.
—Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
Central America is currently grappling with outbreaks of the destructive pest, which have been threatening livestock and infecting people.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 26 Aug. 2025
The disease can be transmitted when a mosquito bites an infected person, acquiring the parasite, and then bites another person, infecting them.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infecting
Verb
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Leawood police fielded nearly 400 food-poisoning complaints and conducted about 130 interviews, a volume that briefly crashed the department’s records system, according to the Johnson County Post, KSHB 41 and KCTV5.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
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Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the church also taught that the power of music could be corrupting.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
18 Oct. 2025
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Tales From Beyond the Pale co-creator Glenn McQuaid unleashes a Jason Voorhees whose appearance is concealed not by a hockey mask but a squiggly blur of video noise, corrupting the handheld footage of him stalking college kids through the woods.—
A.A. Dowd,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Raw sewage, which has gone untreated and continued to build up during the war, is contaminating the aquifer Gaza shares with Israel and Egypt—creating ideal conditions for waterborne disease outbreaks.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
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That may be evidence that profitable firms make money in part by contaminating the environment rather than paying for pollution prevention or cleanup.—
Jennifer Brodmann,
The Conversation,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On a booking after fouling Mbeumo in the first half, he was hooked again by Hurzeler in the second half.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Well, except for fouling on plays that, a year ago, may have gone uncalled.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Without spoiling anything, Liberation’s ending doesn't quite stick the landing either.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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For the party’s new leadership, running Libertarian candidates and providing an outlet for their voters’ political perspective isn’t spoiling.—
Seth Klamann,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
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After being introduced to Picasso, Stein quickly developed a close relationship with him, discussing his work in his cluttered studio, giving him loans, and purchasing his paintings.—
Daphne Merkin,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
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Once seated, she is expected to become the 218th signatory on the discharge petition, giving the coalition enough support to force Johnson’s hand.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infecting. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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