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
Spencer worries that this policy could jeopardize the lives of American health workers who have traveled to the outbreak to treat those who are infected.
—
Ari Daniel, NPR, 9 June 2026
While anyone who lacks immunity can become infected, some groups face a higher risk of severe complications.
—Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
Nine people were infected across three states; more than half were younger than 5.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
However, a person who traveled to El Salvador in Central America and then returned to Maryland in August 2025 was the first case of a human being infected in years.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for infect
Ari Daniel, NPR, 9 June 2026
While anyone who lacks immunity can become infected, some groups face a higher risk of severe complications.
—Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
Nine people were infected across three states; more than half were younger than 5.
—Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
However, a person who traveled to El Salvador in Central America and then returned to Maryland in August 2025 was the first case of a human being infected in years.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for infect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect
Verb
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In the film, Cady also poisons the family dog, Benjamin.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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Thalib, a leading human rights activist and founder of KontraS who was poisoned with arsenic on a flight to Amsterdam.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Tests revealed the water is contaminated with nitrate, which can come from fertilizer, animal manure or human sewage, and 1,2,3-trichloropropane, a hazardous chemical that was widely used in pesticides years ago.—
Ian James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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The tungsten limits the damage and protects the more sensitive hardware, but will be eroded, and the tungsten that is eroded off can stay in the chamber and contaminate further runs of the system.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Republicans have long held on to hope that Valadao might be able to hold on to his San Joaquin Valley district, spoiling Democratic hopes for a flip there.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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Trailing by two games, San Antonio made a statement and spoiled the party at Madison Square Garden for Game 3.—
Leocciano Callao,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Verb
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The Knicks elected to foul rather than allow San Antonio to attempt a tying three and the strategy worked exactly as intended.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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With eight seconds to go, Harper fouled Mikal Bridges after Brunson nearly turned the ball over on a play that could have easily been whistled as a foul.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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