infect
/in'fekt/
Definition
- Verb:
- To contaminate with a disease-causing organism: To cause someone or something to become diseased by introducing a pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria.
- To affect with a feeling, idea, or quality in a transmissible way: To cause a shared emotion, attitude, or atmosphere to spread among people.
- To corrupt or taint with an undesirable element: To introduce a harmful or corrupting influence into a system, environment, or idea.
Usage
The verb infect is used to describe the process of transmitting something, typically negative or contagious, from one source to another. It is commonly followed by a direct object (the person or thing being affected) and often uses the preposition "with" to introduce the agent of infection (e.g., a disease, an idea, a mood).
Examples
- Contaminating with a disease:
- The virus can infect the respiratory system.
- Mosquitoes infect humans with malaria.
- Affecting with a feeling or idea:
- Her enthusiasm infected the entire team, boosting their morale.
- Fear and panic began to infect the crowd.
- Corrupting with a harmful influence:
- The scandal infected the reputation of the entire institution.
- Outdated software can infect a network with vulnerabilities.
Advanced Usage
- "to become infected": To contract a disease or to be affected by a harmful influence.
- The wound became infected and required antibiotics.
- In computing: To describe a computer system being compromised by malicious software.
- The email attachment infected my computer with a virus.
Variants and Related Words
- Infection (n): The process or state of being infected.
- He is being treated for a bacterial infection.
- Infectious (adj): Capable of causing infection; likely to spread or influence others.
- Measles is a highly infectious disease.
- Her laugh was infectious and made everyone smile.
- Infective (adj): Relating to or capable of producing infection (more technical/medical).
- The infective stage of the parasite.
Synonyms
- Contaminate: To make something impure or harmful by adding a foreign substance.
- Taint: To affect with a bad or undesirable quality.
- Spread (to): To cause something to be communicated or distributed.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
- Infect with: The standard construction to specify the agent of infection.
- They were infected with a rare strain of the flu.
Related Idioms
- "to infect the air": To create a pervasive atmosphere or mood.
- A sense of dread infected the air as the storm approached.
Verb
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affect in a contagious way
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His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room
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corrupt with ideas or an ideology
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society was infected by racism
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contaminate with a disease or microorganism
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communicate a disease to
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Your children have infected you with this head cold
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