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
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Recent Examples of infested
Health officials in Berkeley said one person died and another person was hospitalized after contracting leptospirosis from rats that had infested their RV.
—
Tim Fang, CBS News, 11 June 2026
The goat was newly confirmed as the latest case to be infested with New World screwworm, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a press conference Monday.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 June 2026
The home was rat-infested, had human and animal feces throughout and no central heat.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026
The flies lay their eggs in open wounds of animals like cattle, but wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans can be infested.
—Jeffrey Collins, Fortune, 9 June 2026
Cockroaches have infested the building Tourville lives in.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 28 May 2026
On the set of Empire, Henson pleaded for a trailer that wasn’t infested with bugs.
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 13 May 2026
If the container held diseased plants, was infested with insects, or is full of mold, throw out the potting mix and replace it.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
The National Park Service says that most human cases of hantavirus occur in the spring and are linked to buildings that become heavily infested with rodents over the winter.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Tim Fang, CBS News, 11 June 2026
The goat was newly confirmed as the latest case to be infested with New World screwworm, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a press conference Monday.
—Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 11 June 2026
The home was rat-infested, had human and animal feces throughout and no central heat.
—Charlotte Observer, 11 June 2026
The flies lay their eggs in open wounds of animals like cattle, but wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans can be infested.
—Jeffrey Collins, Fortune, 9 June 2026
Cockroaches have infested the building Tourville lives in.
—Quil Lawrence, NPR, 28 May 2026
On the set of Empire, Henson pleaded for a trailer that wasn’t infested with bugs.
—Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 13 May 2026
If the container held diseased plants, was infested with insects, or is full of mold, throw out the potting mix and replace it.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
The National Park Service says that most human cases of hantavirus occur in the spring and are linked to buildings that become heavily infested with rodents over the winter.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infested
Verb
-
This past offseason was a nightmare filled with mistakes, and the season has been plagued by one injury after another.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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The charming little burg is plagued by a perplexing dead body problem.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Given the severity of her infection — and the fact that another child from the same orphanage also tested positive for hepatitis B — Kamischke, now 63, tells PEOPLE that Maren was likely not infected at birth, but by a caretaker.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
11 Dec. 2025
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Infants are far more likely than older children and adults to develop chronic hepatitis B if they are infected.—
Madeline Heim,
jsonline.com,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In another, the same material crawled like a biological organism, mimicking natural motion.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Aug. 2025
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Five roaches breathed their last on the kitchen floor where two roaches crawled away.—
David J. Neal
August 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The downpour quickly overwhelmed the city’s sewer system, and even the regional network of deep tunnels and reservoirs couldn’t keep up.—
Daniel C. Vock,
Chicago Tribune,
14 June 2026
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Dozens of Broward food pantries, large and small, hundreds of nonprofit and faith-based organizations, along with thousands of local volunteers, are trying to fight the good fight, but they are overwhelmed by the growing need.—
Michael Farver,
Sun Sentinel,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infested.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infested. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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