Thesaurus results for INFESTS

infests

verb

present tense third-person singular of infest

as in plagues

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

Relevance

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 infests That essence is slimy, stinky and unrelenting, as reflected in the mass of algae that infests the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. — Maureen Dowd, Mercury News, 23 June 2026 The Lifeform spawns from a black, bacterial mold that infests the yellow wallpaper and moist carpets. — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026 That’s a feeling of inadequacy that not only infests Ruben’s mind, but Niall’s as well. — Barry Levitt, Time, 29 May 2026 These parasites and their eggs contaminate soil, which then infests drinking water and food, especially in areas with poor sanitation. — Jenna Anderson, Health, 8 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for infests

Verb

What plagues America right now, in Cox’s telling, is not bad manners, or even political division, but contempt—the conviction that those who don’t share our opinions or values are beneath us and unworthy of good-faith engagement.

— McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026
Yet the monopolisation that plagues other top tiers, while not as stark in England, is creeping in.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of plagues

Verb

In 90 percent of instances, if a team overwhelms another in the trenches on both sides of the ball, that team wins the game handily.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Sep. 2026
Revenue that overwhelms delivery teams, adds friction for customers or depends on heroic effort is not the same as scalable growth.

— Tim Dowd, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of overwhelms

Verb

Hairy-nosed wombat births are hard to spot, as after about a 30-day pregnancy, the joey crawls into its mother’s pouch.

— Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
Researchers have developed a new control framework that enables humanoid robots to perform agile movements, including army crawls, breakdancing and backflips.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of crawls

Browse Nearby Words

infesting

infests

infidel

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Infests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infests. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of infests

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

pundit

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes