as in plagues
to spread or swarm over in a troublesome manner
in desperation, we called in an exterminator because the house was infested with ants
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of infests
That essence is slimy, stinky and unrelenting, as reflected in the mass of algae that infests the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
—
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
The Lifeform spawns from a black, bacterial mold that infests the yellow wallpaper and moist carpets.
—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
That’s a feeling of inadequacy that not only infests Ruben’s mind, but Niall’s as well.
—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
29 May 2026
These parasites and their eggs contaminate soil, which then infests drinking water and food, especially in areas with poor sanitation.
—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
8 Aug. 2025
Maureen Dowd,
Mercury News,
23 June 2026
The Lifeform spawns from a black, bacterial mold that infests the yellow wallpaper and moist carpets.
—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
That’s a feeling of inadequacy that not only infests Ruben’s mind, but Niall’s as well.
—
Barry Levitt,
Time,
29 May 2026
These parasites and their eggs contaminate soil, which then infests drinking water and food, especially in areas with poor sanitation.
—
Jenna Anderson,
Health,
8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for infests
Verb
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More bureaucracy — in the form of the new stand-alone Department of Gun Violence Reduction — while well-intentioned, isn’t the panacea to what plagues our city, especially as whoever is appointed head of this new department will enjoy too much independence from the mayor.
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Odd moment plagues fourth quarter As the Knicks held on to their fairly sizable lead, a fan ran onto the court, tried to take a selfie with Wembanyama but was quickly apprehended by security.
Verb
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Tomato Wilt Due To Root-Knot Nematodes Another pest that infects tomato plants below ground is the root-knot nematode.
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But even with federal legislation prohibiting discrimination, the pernicious virus of bias infects too many institutions.
Verb
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Trends break, sentiment changes and, sometimes, market volatility overwhelms even the cleanest chart formations.
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Money earned from chip sales abroad quickly flows out to buy stocks like Nvidia, creating persistent downward pressure on the won that overwhelms export gains.
Verb
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Seltz’s system crawls hundreds of millions of pages a day, and returns results in under 200 milliseconds.
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At sunset, the city starts glowing around you while traffic crawls silently below.
Cite this Entry
“Infests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infests. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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