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
Before there was a vaccine in 1963, measles infected millions and killed hundreds of people in the U.S. every year.
—
Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025
For example, a farm in New York recently made headlines after it was forced to euthanize 100,000 ducks after health officials confirmed the flock was infected with the bird flu.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2025
The vast majority of patients infected with the respiratory virus in the current outbreak have been unvaccinated.
—Ivana Saric, Axios, 26 Feb. 2025
For one thing, the current versions of the H5N1 virus that are infecting animals don’t seem very good at infecting humans.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Dr. Jade Cobern, ABC News, 27 Feb. 2025
For example, a farm in New York recently made headlines after it was forced to euthanize 100,000 ducks after health officials confirmed the flock was infected with the bird flu.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2025
The vast majority of patients infected with the respiratory virus in the current outbreak have been unvaccinated.
—Ivana Saric, Axios, 26 Feb. 2025
For one thing, the current versions of the H5N1 virus that are infecting animals don’t seem very good at infecting humans.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for infect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect
Verb
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Sergio Pino’s attorney Deanna Shifrin denied the poisoning allegations, pointing to comments Tatiana made in a December 2023 deposition stating that no healthcare provider had concluded she had been poisoned.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
27 Feb. 2025
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Today sends a message to every cartel leader, every trafficker, every criminal poisoning our communities: You will be held accountable.—
Polo Sandoval,
CNN,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The product has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella, the FDA warns.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
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The shakes are believed to be contaminated with Listeria.—
Cindy Krischer Goodman,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Feb. 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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Kansas fouled, but Houston’s Cryer sealed the outcome by hitting a pair of free throws.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2025
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Smith was fouled twice (the second time in the bonus) and made the first foul shot with two-tenths of a second left.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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