as in sneaks
to introduce in a gradual, secret, or clever way
over time, undercover agents infiltrated the crime ring and eventually busted their gambling racket
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Recent Examples of infiltrates
Tehran stars Niv Sultan as agent Tamar Robinyan, a hacker who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The lakes overlay sand that rapidly infiltrates water, carrying it into the ground or into the district’s 30 storage basins.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026
Jonathan infiltrates Teddy’s organization, posing as a cavalier, rich businessman named Matthew Ellis.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
That winter wonderland becomes a claustrophobic nightmare when an extraterrestrial shapeshifter infiltrates the base camp.
—Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
Dhurandhar, which follows an Indian spy who infiltrates Pakistan’s underworld to dismantle terror networks, was not cleared for release, The National reported.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Contrary to the belief that lead slowly infiltrates the metal, the study found that nickel atoms—which make up a significant portion of 316L—are highly soluble in liquid lead.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Dec. 2025
Flying on the wind, sometimes miles ahead of the fire front, a firestorm of glowing embers infiltrates the home through unsealed cracks and vents, taking advantage of the combustible furniture and drapes to burn it down from within.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
Here, the story turns on Andrius a young man who infiltrates a radical neo-Nazi group to find the killer of his LGBT+ activist boyfriend.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The lakes overlay sand that rapidly infiltrates water, carrying it into the ground or into the district’s 30 storage basins.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 16 Jan. 2026
Jonathan infiltrates Teddy’s organization, posing as a cavalier, rich businessman named Matthew Ellis.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
That winter wonderland becomes a claustrophobic nightmare when an extraterrestrial shapeshifter infiltrates the base camp.
—Huntley Woods, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Dec. 2025
Dhurandhar, which follows an Indian spy who infiltrates Pakistan’s underworld to dismantle terror networks, was not cleared for release, The National reported.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Contrary to the belief that lead slowly infiltrates the metal, the study found that nickel atoms—which make up a significant portion of 316L—are highly soluble in liquid lead.
—Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Dec. 2025
Flying on the wind, sometimes miles ahead of the fire front, a firestorm of glowing embers infiltrates the home through unsealed cracks and vents, taking advantage of the combustible furniture and drapes to burn it down from within.
—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025
Here, the story turns on Andrius a young man who infiltrates a radical neo-Nazi group to find the killer of his LGBT+ activist boyfriend.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infiltrates
Verb
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With a new alias, Andrew Birch, Pine sneaks around Roper’s Majorca compound and relays key documents to Burr, all while keeping an indiscriminate profile.—
Jake Kring-Schreifels,
Time,
9 Jan. 2026
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Now, with nowhere else to turn, Mauser sneaks in uninvited to a swanky party in Rockwell's home and begs for his support in front of his wealthy friends.—
Mike Miller,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Guiteau eventually worms his way into an audience, ostensibly seeking an ambassadorship for his dubious contributions to the campaign but, in reality, requesting a path to greatness.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Detailed this week in the journal ACS Sensors, the team describes a small device made from an array of microneedles that inserts into a dead fish (or fillets) and continuously measures hypoxanthine (HX), a key compound closely associated with spoilage.—
Mack DeGeurin,
Popular Science,
4 Dec. 2025
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Amid the melodrama, Trier inserts flashes of comedy.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Yet real sovereignty slips further away.—
Rick Singh,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Jan. 2026
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Gwath slips the screen and positions himself for a lob from Byrd.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infiltrates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infiltrates. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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