INFECT Synonyms: 62 Similar and Opposite Words

infect

verb

Definition of infect

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of infect An 8-year-old girl in Louisiana has died after being infected by an extremely rare brain-eating amoeba that is found in warm freshwater, her family says. — Jack Brook, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 Around 90 percent of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus will become infected. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026 The virus has infected over 5,500 people and killed nearly half, with the highest fatality rates in remote Ituri and North Kivu where patients rarely reach treatment centers. — Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026 The number of mosquito traps that have captured insects infected with the West Nile virus in the county this summer is now eight, with neighboring Fulton County reporting one positive trap. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for infect

Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect

Verb

See affected product Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after ingesting the bacteria.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Glutathione is processed in sterile compounding pharmacies, and there have been cases of people getting poisoned due to contamination at these facilities, Sack said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of poison

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infeasible

infect

infected

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“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of infect

verb

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