infesting

verb

present participle of infest
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

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 infesting Good property maintenance and natural and safe methods can get rid of chiggers and prevent them from infesting your space. — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 22 July 2026 To prevent the New World Screwworm from infesting Florida, the state is blocking rescue dogs and cats coming from Texas and New Mexico. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 12 June 2026 The moths infesting a pantry are not the same as moths hiding in your closet. — Lauren Wicks, Southern Living, 13 May 2026 No one wants mice moving into their home or infesting their garden. — Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026 Spotted lanternflies have been infesting parts of the East Coast. — Cate Martel, The Hill, 16 Oct. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infesting
  1. plaguing
  2. crawling
  3. infecting
  4. overrunning
Verb
  • And in contrast to most brands, Essence Cosmetics and Catrice revealed at the beginning of this year that despite the tariffs plaguing all industries, the company would not be raising prices.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • This is a snapshot of the current WNBA experience—unprecedented growth and great basketball at risk of being swallowed up by the same culture wars plaguing the broader political landscape.
    — Jemele Hill, The Atlantic, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of plaguing
Verb
  • One of the groups was seen leaving about three hours afterward, according to the NYPD, while the second odd circumstance ended after individuals were seen crawling out and leaving in a vehicle more than two and a half hours after.
    — Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Nidhi imagined the baby crawling around in her mother’s body, desperately seeking the uterus, and, failing to find it in its proper place, quietly shrivelling up and dying.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of crawling
Verb
  • But the 16 bacteria-infecting viruses described on August 6 in Science were no ordinary specimens.
    — Elie Dolgin, IEEE Spectrum, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Only the 2014–16 Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been larger and deadlier, infecting more than 28,600 people and killing 11,325 across Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
    — Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of infecting
Verb
  • Residents are overrunning town meetings to fiercely protest against the deployment of Flock’s systems.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The second-round pass rusher made aggressive mistakes, falling twice for option fakes and overrunning a screen pass early.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of overrunning

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Cite this Entry

“Infesting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infesting. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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