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View synonyms for

infest

[ in-fest ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to live in or overrun to an unwanted degree or in a troublesome manner, especially as predatory animals or vermin do:

    I had a major problem with cockroaches infesting my kitchen.

    The emerald ash borer has already infested many of the local ash trees.

  2. to be numerous in, as anything undesirable or troublesome:

    the cares that infest the day.

  3. Archaic. to harass.


infest

/ ɪˈɛ /

verb

  1. to inhabit or overrun in dangerously or unpleasantly large numbers
  2. (of parasites such as lice) to invade and live on or in (a host)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˌԴڱˈٲپDz, noun
  • ˈڱٱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • ·ڱ· noun
  • ··ڱ verb (used with object)
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Word History and Origins

Origin of infest1

First recorded in 1375–1425; from late Middle English, from Latin Դڱ “to assail, molest,” from infestus “hDzپ”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of infest1

C15: from Latin Դڱ to molest, from infestus hostile
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Days into our temporary sublet, we discovered it was infested with bed bugs.

From

Rats had infested the assisted living facility in Van Nuys, state investigators said.

From

Fleas infested the home, biting them in their sleep, and rain leaked through the shingles into the attic, sprouting a cluster of mushrooms, the lawsuit said.

From

When faced with complaints earlier this year from city workers about rats infesting L.A.

From

The suit alleges youths were forced to “relieve themselves” in bottles and milk cartons and were stuck in “filthy and unsanitary” conditions, infested with cockroaches.

From

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infertilityinfestation