as in poisons
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 infects
Listeria infects approximately 1,250 people in the United States annually, by CDC estimate, and kills about 172.
—
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026
Listeria infects about 1,600 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Lack of income is a contagion that infects self-worth, confidence and the ability to be present in life.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Her son, Jett James East, had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a highly contagious virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Contrary to its original name, the virus mostly infects rodents and occasionally crossed over into humans.
—Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Powdery mildew fungi are host-specific, meaning each fungal species only infects specific plant species.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
In their natural hosts, which include ducks and seagulls, the avian virus often infects the gut, where temperatures can reach 40–42°C.
—Health Reporter, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026
Listeria infects about 1,600 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Lack of income is a contagion that infects self-worth, confidence and the ability to be present in life.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Her son, Jett James East, had respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a highly contagious virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Contrary to its original name, the virus mostly infects rodents and occasionally crossed over into humans.
—Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Powdery mildew fungi are host-specific, meaning each fungal species only infects specific plant species.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
In their natural hosts, which include ducks and seagulls, the avian virus often infects the gut, where temperatures can reach 40–42°C.
—Health Reporter, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infects
Verb
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As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
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Instead of a warning event, Expeditions imagines the historical fall that corrupts the Earth.—
Nola Taylor Tillman,
Space.com,
21 Dec. 2025
Verb
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These cards may contain batteries or nonrecyclable material that contaminates other paper.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
31 Dec. 2025
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Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Directly across from the hotel, guests can walk to a lift that gives them immediate access to Andermatt’s 112 miles of slopes—enough to keep you fully immersed in the winter wonderland for days on end.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Jan. 2026
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Align with what actually uplevels you, not what confirms bias, is rage bait, or just gives a dopamine hit.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Baltimore Sun,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Sinners leading all nominees by a record-breaking margin could shake up the Oscar race, which seemed destined to come down to One Battle After Another and Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet (the two films recently shared the Best Picture spoils at the Golden Globes).—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
22 Jan. 2026
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With the victory spoils, Ruel collects A$50,000 ($33,700) courtesy of APRA AMCOS, Alberts and Sony Music Publishing.—
Lars Brandle,
Billboard,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infects. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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