| a. | 1. | Infected. Cf. Enfect. |
| v. t. | 1. | |
| 1. | To taint with morbid matter or any pestilential or noxious substance or effluvium by which disease is produced; | |
| 2. | To affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; | |
| 3. | To communicate to or affect with, as qualities or emotions, esp. bad qualities; to corrupt; to contaminate; to taint by the communication of anything noxious or pernicious. | |
| 4. | (Law) To contaminate with illegality or to expose to penalty. |
| Verb | 1. | infect - communicate a disease to; "Your children have infected you with this head cold" |
| 2. | infect - contaminate with a disease or microorganism Synonyms: taint Antonyms: disinfect - destroy microorganisms or pathogens by cleansing; "disinfect a wound" | |
| 3. | infect - contaminate with ideas or an ideology; "society was infected by racism" | |
| 4. | infect - affect in a contagious way; "His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room" |