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
The custom, which can risk infecting infants with dangerous diseases, is practiced only in haredi Orthodox communities such as the substantial one in Antwerp.
—
Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Left Arrow Right Arrow Fake browser extensions are nothing new, but this one takes things a step further by deliberately breaking your computer to scare you into infecting it.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Less than a mile from Campbell’s home, inside City Hall, dysfunction was infecting the police department.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
In other words, don't show up unannounced at a medical office or emergency room and risk infecting others.
—Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
What neither Bond nor Blofeld know, though, is that Safin has already intercepted Madeline, infecting her with a Heracles variant that is harmless to her but fatal to Blofeld.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
Well, this research team from Yale found that their laboratory noses could produce interferons that could then keep the rhinovirus from infecting cells and thus limit the spread of the virus.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
It's revealed that this beauty drug is infecting people with a virus that leads to death, luring in an investigation by FBI Agents Cooper Madsen, played by Evan Peters, and Jordan Bennett, played by Rebecca Hall.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, the Larian Studios RPG follows a party that seeks to cure themselves of a parasitic tadpole infecting their brains.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
Philissa Cramer, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Left Arrow Right Arrow Fake browser extensions are nothing new, but this one takes things a step further by deliberately breaking your computer to scare you into infecting it.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Less than a mile from Campbell’s home, inside City Hall, dysfunction was infecting the police department.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
In other words, don't show up unannounced at a medical office or emergency room and risk infecting others.
—Sarah Volpenhein, jsonline.com, 6 Feb. 2026
What neither Bond nor Blofeld know, though, is that Safin has already intercepted Madeline, infecting her with a Heracles variant that is harmless to her but fatal to Blofeld.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
Well, this research team from Yale found that their laboratory noses could produce interferons that could then keep the rhinovirus from infecting cells and thus limit the spread of the virus.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
It's revealed that this beauty drug is infecting people with a virus that leads to death, luring in an investigation by FBI Agents Cooper Madsen, played by Evan Peters, and Jordan Bennett, played by Rebecca Hall.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, the Larian Studios RPG follows a party that seeks to cure themselves of a parasitic tadpole infecting their brains.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infecting
Verb
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According to charging documents in the case obtained by USA TODAY, Kouri Richins is accused of poisoning her spouse with fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town in Summit County.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
24 Feb. 2026
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Richins, 35, is charged with multiple felonies for allegedly poisoning her late husband, Eric Richins, in March 2022.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In this way at least, the mayor follows in the path of Socrates by corrupting the young.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
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But now, federal prosecutors say Hennen is the fixer behind the biggest point-shaving scandal in history, accused of bribing 39 college players, corrupting 17 programs and fixing — or trying fix — 29 games to enrich himself and other gamblers.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The firestorm ravaged Pacific Palisades and Altadena, killing 31, destroying more than 16,000 structures and contaminating others with toxins and heavy metals.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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You and your daughter are fitted with masks before you are brought in through a side door to avoid contaminating the waiting room, and then herded into an isolated negative-pressure room designed to prevent the aerosolized virus from traveling into the hall.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Being able to defend without fouling and doing things with more discipline.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
23 Feb. 2026
-
In the fifth, MacIver fought back from an 0-2 count, fouling off a pair of pitches before working his way to a walk before Jonah Bride’s two-out bases-loaded double cleared the bases.—
Evan Grant,
Dallas Morning News,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Much of the damage that the larger amount would cause, especially the impact on the pond and spoiling the preserve, would still happen under the new plan.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
12 Feb. 2026
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Petrecca was thrust into the commentary role, replacing Auro Bulbarelli, who removed himself after spoiling the surprise arrival of Mattarella aboard one of the city’s trams.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Occupational giving statistics more or less tracked with the postelection analysis of pundits.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
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Islamabad blames Pakistani Taliban militants for much of that violence – and accuses Kabul of giving them shelter on its territory.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infecting. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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