infested

past tense of infest
as in plagued
to spread or swarm over in a troublesome manner in desperation, we called in an exterminator because the house was infested with ants

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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 infested For bare soil or areas heavily infested with persistent weeds, apply a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of organic mulch directly over the bare soil. Manjot Kaur Sidhu, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026 Despite those efforts, New World screwworm infested thousands of animals in Panama and Mexico, and in June, the US Department of Agriculture confirmed the first US cases in years. Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026 Otherwise, the flour could go stale in a few months or become infested by bugs in the pantry. Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Sep. 2026 Inspectors noted a rice bucket was heavily infested with roaches. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Sep. 2026 The inspection followed a hunger strike by detainees, who in a letter, complained about rotten or worm-infested food, medical neglect, and being coerced into signing deportation orders. Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026 Authorities are investigating after human remains at a Chicago funeral home were allegedly found decaying in an unrefrigerated area infested with rodents. Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Felix Molina has noticed the difference at a local park that used to be rat-infested. Dave Carlin, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 By the same logic, to write anything at all is to go into the locked room of your potential and realise that the roof is leaking, there’s damp in the walls and the furniture is infested with woodworm. Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infested
Verb
  • Instead, they were plagued by injuries, dropped seven of their final nine games and lost the division tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers.
    Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • But the violence that plagued Muslims and mosques in the days and years after 9/11 stood in stark contrast to those sentiments.
    BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The boy was infected with measles, which is listed on the death certificate as a contributing factor.
    CBS News, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The person who died suffered from neurological complications of the disease, which affect about one in 150 people infected, according to a county news release.
    Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Each tool sharpened one department, and the work still crawled between them, because nobody was ever asked to own the crawling.
    Krupesh Bhat, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • One roach crawled on glassware in the dishwashing area and eight were under the dishwasher.
    David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Perhaps this saga of planetary conquest is also a sly commentary on Hollywood imperialism, in which even the most far-flung of small-town tales must be overwhelmed by big-name stars in visual-effects drag.
    Justin Chang, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The scale of the disaster has proved challenging for authorities, with morgues overwhelmed by a large number of unidentified remains.
    Andrew Jones, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Infested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infested. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

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