infect

/ɪnˈfɛkt/

/ɪnˈfɛkt/

Other forms: infected; infecting; infects

To infect is to spread an illness to another person. If you sneeze on your friend, you may inadvertently infect her with your germs.

When a disease moves from person to person, it infects them. Most diseases only spread within one species, although there are some, like avian flu, that can infect both humans and other animals. Another way to infect someone is to deeply affect them with an idea or emotion: "His enthusiasm for music infects the class with excitement." The Latin root, inficere, means "to spoil or stain" and "to dip into."

Definitions of infect

1. verb

   contaminate with a disease or microorganism
   synonyms: taint

   antonyms:

   disinfect

   destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing

   types:

   superinfect

   infect (an infected cell) further or infect a cell already containing similar organisms

   smut

   affect with smut or mildew, as of a crop such as corn

   type of:

   contaminate, foul, pollute

   make impure
2. verb

   communicate a disease to
   “Your children have infected you with this head cold”

   types:

   canker

   infect with a canker

   type of:

   give

   cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
3. verb

   affect in a contagious way
   “His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room”

   type of:

   affect, impress, move, strike

   have an emotional or cognitive impact upon
4. verb

   corrupt with ideas or an ideology
   “society was infected by racism”

   type of:

   corrupt, debase, debauch, demoralise, demoralize, deprave, misdirect, pervert, profane, subvert, vitiate

   corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality