as in to poison
to pass something harmful (such as a disease) to someone or something else
If you come to work when you're sick, you'll infect everyone in the office.
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Recent Examples of infect
These viruses infect the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat).
—
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 22 May 2025
It’s been nearly, well, 28 years since Danny Boyle gave zombie cinema a jittery digital makeover while irking the Romero faithful with his sprinting hordes of agile infected.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Last year, more than a third of L.A. County residents infected with the disease needed to be hospitalized, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Pegasus is able to remotely infect user’s devices without their knowledge.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 22 May 2025
It’s been nearly, well, 28 years since Danny Boyle gave zombie cinema a jittery digital makeover while irking the Romero faithful with his sprinting hordes of agile infected.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 20 May 2025
Last year, more than a third of L.A. County residents infected with the disease needed to be hospitalized, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Pegasus is able to remotely infect user’s devices without their knowledge.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect
Verb
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As the film unfolds, Wilson finds out that Sterns, the movie's villain, has been the mastermind behind the entire plot and has been poisoning Ross with gamma rays via pills for years.—
Caroline Blair,
People.com,
28 May 2025
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Intermediately, because a member of Ethan’s team, Claire (Emmanuelle Béart) has poisoned Donloe, which results in Donloe having some pretty intense gastrointestinal reactions.—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Verb
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But fresh produce can also cause infections, for example, if they are washed during processing with water contaminated with salmonella.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
21 May 2025
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However, you may be exposed to aluminum through other sources, such as certain workplace environments and contaminated water.95 FDA Warning The FDA considers antiperspirants generally safe to use.—
Sherri Gordon,
Health,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Dodge won't spoil the surprise by confirming if the last one will be based on the Charger or the Challenger (or maybe both), but the evidence suggests the latter is more likely.—
Jack Fitzgerald,
Car and Driver,
13 Feb. 2023
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Farmers’ broiler chickens suffocate, and dairy products spoil.—
Monica Mark,
The Christian Science Monitor,
10 Feb. 2023
Verb
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Stott fouled off five full-count pitches, all 95.3-95.8 mph fastballs.—
David O'Brien,
New York Times,
28 May 2025
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Hoping your opponent misses a 36% 3-pointer that your defense has very little control over or intentionally fouling and then daring them to hit their first free throw, miss the second one on purpose, secure the offensive rebound, and convert a contested putback?—
Mat Issa,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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