MEANING
To introduce disease-causing organisms into a body or tissue so that they establish themselves there.
Use it for
A breached bodily defense; disease transmitted by contact; wounds becoming dangerous after escapeMake invasion biological rather than using disease as a vague curse.
Words that belong together
- infect a wound
- infected tissue
- infect through a bite
On the page
The bite infected the wound with bacteria.
She feared the parasite would infect anyone who touched the sample.
The experiment showed that the organism could infect living tissue.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- infect / infects
- Past tense
- infected
- Past participle
- infected
- Present participle
- infecting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- infect / infects
- Present continuous
- am/is/are infecting
- Present perfect
- have/has infected
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been infecting
- Past
- infected
- Past continuous
- was/were infecting
- Past perfect
- had infected
- Past perfect continuous
- had been infecting
- Future
- will infect / infects
- Future continuous
- will be infecting
- Future perfect
- will have infected
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been infecting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Infection involves biological agents; contamination can mean their mere presence. Exposure does not necessarily establish infection, and metaphorical use needs a clear context. Verb [base, third-person present, past, past participle, -ing]: infect, infects, infected, infected, infecting. Derived/related family (not inflections): infection (noun), infectious (adjective).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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