How to Use infect in a Sentence

infect

verb
  • All the computers in the office were infected by the same virus.
  • The virus has infected many people.
  • If you're sick you should stay home to avoid infecting other people in the office.
  • The virus has infected many computers.
  • They were unable to prevent bacteria from infecting the wound.
  • Her enthusiasm has infected everyone.
  • Once a plant is infected, there’s no way to cure root rot.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 May 2026
  • This is the enzyme that infects and spreads.
    — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
  • How do you get infected with it?
    — ​wendy Wisner, Parents, 4 Feb. 2026
  • That’s the best way to keep the flies from infecting the fruits.
    — Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Once plants are infected, there is no cure.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2026
  • In this way, the virus can break into healthy cells and infect them.
    — Glenn J Rapsinski, The Conversation, 30 Aug. 2021
  • Once a tree is infected, it’s gone.
    — Paul Meador, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2026
  • And in the perfect place to be infected all the time.
    — Catherine Santino, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The fungus infects the base of the nail and sometimes the top of the foot.
    — Sarah Bradley, Health, 19 May 2024
  • The man’s wife is thought to have infected ten more people at his wake.
    — Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 24 May 2026
  • Shingles on the head can also infect the eyes.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
  • The team then tried to infect these nasal cells with rhinoviruses.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Some of the most destructive plant pathogens in the world infect their hosts in this way.
    — Lily Peck, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
  • During this time, more frogs are infected with the pathogen.
    — Ana V. Longo, The Conversation, 24 June 2026
  • It’s caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells through the bite of a tick.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2025
  • An entire school could be infected by then.
    — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Mumps infects the salivary glands below the ears.
    — Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 6 Mar. 2026
  • Even a minor cut or scrape that gets infected can lead to necrosis.
    — Cara Beth Lee, Verywell Health, 4 Jan. 2024
  • The seals may have been infected by living near or eating sick and dead birds.
    — Emily Anthes, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
  • These are a group of viruses that are known to infect bacteria.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Nov. 2023
  • Nine people were infected across three states; more than half were younger than 5.
    — CNN Money, 14 June 2026
  • Nine people were infected across three states; more than half were younger than 5.
    — Annie Waldman, ProPublica, 9 June 2026
  • Have the sequences changed so the virus is more likely to infect humans?
    — Maryn McKenna, Wired, 24 Jan. 2022
  • The dystopian gloom seems to have infected the new Eden.
    — Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'infect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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