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
In total, five current or former passengers have been confirmed to have been infected.
—
Aria Bendix, NBC news, 7 May 2026
All deliver explicit pornography and, in at least one case, a scam site falsely claiming a visitor’s computer is infected and advising the visitor to pay a fee for the non-existent malware to be removed.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Despite taking every precaution to prevent transmission, the disease ultimately infected more than 1,200 sailors, killed one and forced the ship to dock in Guam for two months while the Navy took extensive and costly measures to deal with the outbreak.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2026
In 2024, hackers infected computers at multiple hotels with a type of consumer-grade spyware known as stalkerware.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infect
Aria Bendix, NBC news, 7 May 2026
All deliver explicit pornography and, in at least one case, a scam site falsely claiming a visitor’s computer is infected and advising the visitor to pay a fee for the non-existent malware to be removed.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
Despite taking every precaution to prevent transmission, the disease ultimately infected more than 1,200 sailors, killed one and forced the ship to dock in Guam for two months while the Navy took extensive and costly measures to deal with the outbreak.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2026
In 2024, hackers infected computers at multiple hotels with a type of consumer-grade spyware known as stalkerware.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for infect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect
Verb
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The courts said that map was poisoned by partisan considerations, forcing the Legislature to come up with a new map before the 2016 primary.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
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Two years later, a train derailed, and the air, water, and clay of East Palestine were poisoned.—
Mary Norris,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings and can spread person-to-person, though the WHO calls that rare.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 May 2026
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Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Waves of silicon, metal, and concrete would spoil views of Sardinia’s stunning beaches, rugged mountains, ancient pastures, and idyllic medieval villages, after all.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 May 2026
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Composers Matt Bowen and Christopher Lennertz won’t spoil what’s ahead but say their music will only get bigger.—
Fred Topel,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
Verb
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His 71st pitch Friday night was a sinker to Brice Matthews, who fouled it off for Strike 2.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
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This comes four days after the the four-time All-Star came off the 10-day injured after fouling off a pitch and breaking his left big toe on April 11 in another game against the Twins.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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