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 Listeria infects about 1,250 people in the United States annually, according to the CDC, and kills about 172 of those people. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026 In 2023, my team and I were assessing the nation’s pandemic influenza plans when the Situation Room notified me that H5N1 influenza had infected a father and killed his daughter in a remote Cambodian village. — Raj Panjabi, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 People infected with the flu can spread the virus beginning about one day before symptoms appear and for roughly five to seven days after becoming sick, according to the CDC. — Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026 This is still the NFL, where winless teams can rise like zombie undead, bite you on the backside and infect your season. — Sam Jane, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for infect

Recent Examples of Synonyms for infect

Verb

What researchers uncovered through lab testing and surveillance footage, prosecutors said, was a plot by his fellow graduate student to intentionally poison him.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
May says national polarization is poisoning the atmosphere locally.

— Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of poison

Verb

These measures reduce the risk that their microbe might contaminate the Red Planet as an invasive organism, especially if Mars ever did develop life of its own that might still exist in underground aquifers or within ancient salt crystals.

— Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Lincoln Park Zoo sits atop a former burial ground, Chicago City Cemetery, which was moved in the 1860s amid concerns that the graves were contaminating the water supply.

— Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of contaminate

Verb

This story spoils the plot of the film Whalefall, now out in theaters, based on Daniel Kraus‘ novel.

— Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
The Dodgers left-hander had just given up the lead on Bauers’ two-run homer, spoiling what had been a stellar start Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of spoil

Browse Nearby Words

infeasible

infect

infected

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“Infect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/infect. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of infect

verb

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