as in plaguing
to spread or swarm over in a troublesome manner
in desperation, we called in an exterminator because the house was infested with ants
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Recent Examples of infesting
Quagga mussels and golden mussels, fingernail-sized invaders infesting California waterways, clog the water pumps and pipes responsible for distributing water to millions of people and vast stretches of farmland.
—
Pam Marrone, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Aphids and Spider Mites These tiny, sap-sucking insects become more active in the fall, infesting flowering and fruiting plants.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
Pam Marrone, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Aphids and Spider Mites These tiny, sap-sucking insects become more active in the fall, infesting flowering and fruiting plants.
—Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infesting
Verb
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Jordan Shamir, co-founder and CEO of Yofi AI, said fraud and theft continue to be major issues plaguing brands and retailers of all sizes.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
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Politicians on both sides of the aisle widely condemned the attack, one of several high-profile acts of political violence plaguing the United States in recent years.—
Matt Lavietes,
NBC news,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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This 2022 Netflix original documentary will have your skin crawling.—
Emy LaCroix,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
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No one enjoys finding moths fluttering around the flour or tiny caterpillars crawling in the cereal.—
Lauren Wicks,
Southern Living,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Measles outbreaks are infecting more people this year than in any year since the early 1990s and have already killed three.—
Suhail Bhat,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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The researchers had shown in 2023 that parasitic scraps of DNA could spread within bacterial populations by hitching rides on the tails of infecting viruses.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Yet, there’s a way to do it right to show appreciation for the time and effort in hosting a tailgate—tents, food, drinks, and all—while not overrunning the host’s wishes.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infesting. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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