as in poisons
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 infects
Measles is a highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus that infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body.
—
Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 6 Feb. 2026
Lung, stomach and cervical cancers accounted for nearly half of the cases that were linked to modifiable risks, with many linked to viruses and bacteria like the human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Helicobacter pylori (a common bacterium that infects the stomach lining).
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Listeria infects approximately 1,250 people in the United States annually, by CDC estimate, and kills about 172.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026
Listeria infects about 1,600 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Lack of income is a contagion that infects self-worth, confidence and the ability to be present in life.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Contrary to its original name, the virus mostly infects rodents and occasionally crossed over into humans.
—Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Powdery mildew fungi are host-specific, meaning each fungal species only infects specific plant species.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
Doris Alvarez Cea, Florida Times-Union, 6 Feb. 2026
Lung, stomach and cervical cancers accounted for nearly half of the cases that were linked to modifiable risks, with many linked to viruses and bacteria like the human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Helicobacter pylori (a common bacterium that infects the stomach lining).
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Listeria infects approximately 1,250 people in the United States annually, by CDC estimate, and kills about 172.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 19 Jan. 2026
Listeria infects about 1,600 people each year, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
Measles first infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body, causing a high fever, runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes, and a rash.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
Lack of income is a contagion that infects self-worth, confidence and the ability to be present in life.
—Chicago Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
Contrary to its original name, the virus mostly infects rodents and occasionally crossed over into humans.
—Patrick Jackson, The Conversation, 7 Jan. 2026
Powdery mildew fungi are host-specific, meaning each fungal species only infects specific plant species.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infects
Verb
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Sensing Scarlet’s resolve to destroy him, Claudius poisons her.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His relationship with his Jewish neighbors, the Brodskys, grows closer as Nazi power corrupts France.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
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As Jay Jonah Atterbury, one of a handful of new characters on the fourth season of Industry, Kal Penn weaponizes and corrupts the stoner quirks viewers may recognize from his years playing Kumar Patel in the Harold & Kumar films.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These cards may contain batteries or nonrecyclable material that contaminates other paper.—
Maia Pandey,
jsonline.com,
31 Dec. 2025
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Untreated nitrogen often contaminates groundwater and causes algal blooms that damage ecosystems.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That gives Takaichi a clear path to deliver on her agenda over the coming years – until the next election in 2027.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
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The speech and debate clause, under Article 1, Section 6, of the Constitution, gives these members immunity from liability for defamation when reading the list of names aloud in court.—
Lauren Green,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This post spoils the entirety of Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 (the first four episodes).—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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Sinners leading all nominees by a record-breaking margin could shake up the Oscar race, which seemed destined to come down to One Battle After Another and Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet (the two films recently shared the Best Picture spoils at the Golden Globes).—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Infects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infects. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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