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 credential-stealing function in the Miasma worm infecting the Microsoft packages was triggered as soon as a developer opened it in AI agents, including Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Cursor, and VS Code.
—
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 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
She is allowed to roam only within a limited tolerance zone to avoid infecting cattle.
—The Conversation, 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
Over the past two years, the epidemic has left a devastating trail, infecting more than 220,000 individuals, and claiming the lives of over 4,000 people in 19 countries across the continent.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Hantavirus is typically spread from rodents to people, but the particular strain that’s infecting those on the cruise, according to the WHO — the Andes strain — is the only kind that can also be transmitted from person to person.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Interest in her field exploded in the late 1990s and again in the mid-aughts when the H5N1 bird flu virus began infecting and killing mass numbers of poultry in China and other parts of Southeast Asia — and infecting and killing some people as well.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
In some experiments, scientists have reactivated viruses that remained capable of infecting host cells after thawing, though none have been linked to human illness.
—Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 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
She is allowed to roam only within a limited tolerance zone to avoid infecting cattle.
—The Conversation, 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
Over the past two years, the epidemic has left a devastating trail, infecting more than 220,000 individuals, and claiming the lives of over 4,000 people in 19 countries across the continent.
—John Drake, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026
Hantavirus is typically spread from rodents to people, but the particular strain that’s infecting those on the cruise, according to the WHO — the Andes strain — is the only kind that can also be transmitted from person to person.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
Interest in her field exploded in the late 1990s and again in the mid-aughts when the H5N1 bird flu virus began infecting and killing mass numbers of poultry in China and other parts of Southeast Asia — and infecting and killing some people as well.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 25 Apr. 2026
In some experiments, scientists have reactivated viruses that remained capable of infecting host cells after thawing, though none have been linked to human illness.
—Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infecting
Verb
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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
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It was also used in a separate supply-chain attack poisoning dozens of Red Hat packages.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
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
Verb
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Until the 1990s, the power company disposed of over 1 million tons of coal ash in an unlined storage area in Pines, later contaminating the groundwater that supplied the town of 700.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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Humans, on the other hand, are almost like an invasive species, with air filters lining the floors changing out all of the factory’s air in just a single minute to make sure those bags of flesh and blood don’t release too many contaminating particles.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
10 June 2026
Verb
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From simply not turning the ball over to being smarter about fouls, or even fouling earlier sometimes in the possession.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2026
-
Lowe left the game after fouling a ball off his right knee in the ninth.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Republicans have long held on to hope that Valadao might be able to hold on to his San Joaquin Valley district, spoiling Democratic hopes for a flip there.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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The sheets will absorb excess moisture, which will prevent your fruits and veggies spoiling quickly.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
Verb
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The inventory risk is real, but oil bulls are giving the problem too much weight, Dwivedi argues.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
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An orphaned owl at a rescue center in New York has adopted the role of a foster parent, nursing two orphaned baby owlets and giving them parental love.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infecting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infecting. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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