INFECTING Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

infecting

verb

present participle of infect

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of infecting Hendra virus typically passes from bats to horses before occasionally infecting humans. — William A. Haseltine, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026 And now, a new surge of toxicity is infecting modern masculinity. — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 27 June 2026 These bloodborne bacteria can migrate to the heart, infecting and damaging the heart muscle and valves. — Mark Stibich, Verywell Health, 25 June 2026 The procedure, called variolation, involved deliberately infecting a soldier with a small amount of smallpox virus to build immunity. — Katrine L. Wallace, The Conversation, 24 June 2026 Unlike measles outbreaks in Texas, South Carolina and Arizona, the spread in Utah has been tough to contain to one region — infecting undervaccinated communities in nearly every county. — Devi Shastri, Fortune, 20 June 2026 Instead of targeting machines through the BIOS or master boot record, one such bootkit attacked Mac OS X systems by infecting the EFI, a package of firmware that started the boot process. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 17 June 2026 While the fly is capable of infecting humans and pets, such cases are rare and pose little risk to the broader public, according to experts. — David Hickey, NBC news, 4 June 2026 The year before that, SARS had emerged, ultimately infecting over 8,000 people in nearly 30 countries. — Neil Vora, Time, 22 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for infecting

Verb

One of Robinson's attorneys, Kathryn Nester, also represented Kouri Richins, who was convicted of poisoning her husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 June 2026
Lewis was accused of poisoning two white female housemates, assaulted by a white mob in response to the charge, and acquitted in court, only to then be accused of stealing art supplies and prohibited from reënrolling.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 8 June 2026

Definition of poisoning

Verb

Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.

— CBS News, CBS News, 31 May 2026
An early discussion about social contracts comes down to us in Plato’s dialogue Crito in which Socrates, condemned to death for allegedly corrupting the youth, refused an offer to escape from prison.

— George G. Szpiro, Big Think, 9 Apr. 2026

Definition of corrupting

Verb

The decision also followed a nearly $16 million fine issued by the state environmental department to the DOE for allegedly contaminating groundwater by failing to manage legacy radioactive waste.

— Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Barrera hasn’t turned on Quintero’s air conditioner for fear of contaminating the house.

— Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 June 2026

Definition of contaminating

Verb

Machado, on the other hand, remained in the game after fouling a ball off his toe in the third inning and collapsing in pain at the plate.

— Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
The rule keeps teams from fouling in the backcourt to stop a fast break, and a penalty awards the offense one free throw and possession.

— Zach Powell, New York Times, 2 July 2026

Definition of fouling

Verb

With the crack of the ball against his bat, Tommy Edman scored from third, giving the Dodgers the lead.

— Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Another challenge is that the EV segment relies heavily on rare earths imported from China, giving Indian two-wheeler makers little control over supply and pricing.

— Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026

Definition of giving

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infected

infecting

infection

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“Infecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infecting. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of infecting

verb

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