Word
infect
Meanings
to pass germs into a person, animal, or plant and cause disease
to spread a harmful influence or feeling through a group or situation
Definition
To infect means to pass a disease-causing germ to a person, animal, or plant, making them ill.
To infect is to cause a person, animal, or plant to become ill by introducing harmful germs such as bacteria or viruses. It can also mean to spread those germs to others through contact, air, or contaminated surfaces. More broadly, it can describe a harmful influence spreading through a group or system, such as fear or corruption.
Examples
- If you don’t disinfect the equipment properly, you could infect the next patient.
- She worried that her cough might infect her colleagues during the conference.
- They traced the outbreak to a single contaminated tap that had infected dozens of residents.
- I don’t want to infect my grandparents, so I’m staying home until my symptoms pass.
Common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse "infect" with "affect" and say "The virus affected him" when they mean "The virus infected him."
More at C1 level
- ubiquitous Present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.
- xenophobia Xenophobia is a strong dislike or fear of people from other countries or cultures.
- genocide Genocide is the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular group in order to …
- conundrum A conundrum is a confusing and difficult problem to solve.
- pretentious Trying to seem more important, intelligent, or cultured than you really are.
More verbs
- analyze To examine something carefully in order to understand it or explain it.
- scrutinize To scrutinize something is to examine it very carefully and in detail.
- affect To affect something is to influence it or cause it to change.
- allude To allude means to mention or suggest something indirectly without saying it clearly.
- elude To elude someone or something is to avoid being caught, understood, or remembered.