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infect
[ in-fekt ]
verb (used with object)
- to affect or contaminate (a person, organ, wound, etc.) with disease-producing germs.
- to affect with disease.
- to taint or contaminate with something that affects quality, character, or condition unfavorably:
to infect the air with poison gas.
- to corrupt or affect morally:
The news of the gold strike infected him with greed.
- to imbue with some pernicious belief, opinion, etc.
Synonyms: ,
- to affect with a computer virus.
Synonyms: , ,
- to affect so as to influence feeling or action:
His courage infected the others.
- Law. to taint with illegality, or expose to penalty, forfeiture, etc.
verb (used without object)
- to become infected.
adjective
- Archaic. infected.
infect
/ ɪˈɛ /
verb
- to cause infection in; contaminate (an organism, wound, etc) with pathogenic microorganisms
- also intr to affect or become affected with a communicable disease
- to taint, pollute, or contaminate
- to affect, esp adversely, as if by contagion
- computing to affect with a computer virus
- international law to taint with crime or illegality; expose to penalty or subject to forfeiture
adjective
- archaic.contaminated or polluted with or as if with a disease; infected
Derived Forms
- ˈڱٴǰ, noun
Other Word Forms
- ·ڱaԳ adjective
- ·ڱĻ·Ա noun
- ·ڱtǰ ·ڱİ noun
- ԴDzi·ڱĻ adjective
- ԴDzi·ڱiԲ adjective
- i·ڱ verb (used with object)
- i·ڱ verb (used with object)
- ܲi·ڱĻ adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of infect1
Example Sentences
The virus is spread through an infected animal’s saliva, usually during a bite.
Some of these disease-causing bugs may be so old, human immune systems are totally naïve to them, which means unleashing them could infect millions, maybe even trigger another pandemic.
Corruption has infected the body politic, leaving a chasm in local leadership desperate for someone to fill.
Her skeleton shows a healed fracture to her arm, while her tooth was infected and had an abscess, which exposed the roots and must have been painful.
Brown: Yes, we don’t ever see any infected breach Jackson’s walls in the game, but the possibility is why they have all those patrols.
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More About Infect
does infect mean?
Infect is a verb that means to taint someone or something with disease-causing germs or to spread a disease to another living thing, as in The doorknob was infected with disease-causing bacteria.
Infect can also mean to taint something in a way that negatively affects quality, as in The water was infected with toxic chemicals. Computers and other devices that connect to the internet can also become infected. Instead of a virus of living organisms infecting your computer, though, bits of code attack your computer system to do harm.
Infect is also used figuratively to mean to corrupt something in various ways. It can mean something was corrupted morally, as in The constant flattery caused him to be infected with hubris.
Infect can also be used to mean someone has been corrupted by harmful thoughts or beliefs, as in He allowed hatred to infect his mind.
The adjective infectious is used to mean something is capable of infecting things, as in Doctors worked to stop the spread of the infectious disease.
Infect can be confused with infest, which means to overrun a place or live there in an unwanted manner.
Example: Tia stayed home from school so she wouldn’t infect her classmates with the flu.
Where does infect come from?
The first records of the word infect come from around 1350. It ultimately comes from the Latin inficere, meaning “to immerse in dye” or “to taint.” Infect, according to any of its meanings, refers to tainting something or someone.
You will hear the word infect often used during outbreaks of disease or during flu season. Microorganisms that cause disease, such as bacteria and viruses, usually reproduce very quickly and are able to spread from one living thing to another. Often, this spread happens when bodily fluids make contact with surfaces and infect them with germs. A healthy person then touches this surface and the germs enter their body and infect them as well. For this reason, medical experts advise practices such as social distancing, cleanliness, and frequent handwashing to try and prevent being infected with a disease.
Did you know … ?
are some other forms related to infect?
- infectant (adjective)
- infectedness (noun)
- infector (noun)
- noninfected (adjective)
are some synonyms for infect?
are some words that share a root or word element with infect?
are some words that often get used in discussing infect?
are some words infect may be commonly confused with?
How is infect used in real life?
Infect is a common word that most often refers to the spread of disease or disease-causing germs.
I can't even sleep next to the kids without fearing to infect them with my flu
— VUYOLWETHU (@Mr_Jekubeni)
Make kindness contagious, infect everyone.
— RYAN (@_RyanKillian)
We have added style guidance on coronaviruses, a family of viruses, some of which can infect people and animals. As the situation evolves, our guidance may also evolve. (1/4)
— APStylebook (@APStylebook)
Try using infect!
Is infect used correctly in the following sentence?
I tried to stay in my room when I had the flu so that I wouldn’t infect my family with the flu virus.
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