infect

CEFRB2

/ɪnˈfɛkt/

verb · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To give someone or something a disease or harmful organism.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To contaminate (an object or substance) with a pathogen.

Examples

  • It is not possible to infect another person through kissing.

  • The virus can easily infect a healthy person.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4

Also pronounced

  • /ˈɪnfɛkt/

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion, or to communicate a feeling to others, or a feeling communicating itself to others.

  2. To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it.

adjective

Extra meaning

  1. Representing an action not yet completed.

More examples

In context

  • Infect the area with cholera.

  • Her passion for dancing has infected me.

  • Not everyone will be infected when an epidemic strikes.

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The virus can blank healthy cells by entering them and using their machinery.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (“dye, taint”).