infect

/ɪnˈfekt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈfekt/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈfekt/ (ame, mw)

infect — verb

  • infectpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • infectshe / she / it
  • infectedpast simple
  • infecting-ing form

1. to make a living thing ill by giving it a germ, virus, or other microbe that cau

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to make a living thing ill by giving it a germ, virus, or other microbe that causes disease

例句

The flu virus infected nearly thirty students at Mizuki's school within a week.

infect + person/group with + disease

Doctors warned travellers that mosquitoes infected with the virus could spread it quickly.

passive: infected with + disease

同義詞
  • contaminate

    Broader — can mean any harmful substance (chemical, radiation), not just living germs

  • transmit

    Focuses on the act of passing the disease, not on the result of becoming sick; often followed by 'to'.

  • spread

    Can be transitive or intransitive; less clinical and used for both diseases and rumours

  • pass on

    Informal phrasal verb — 'pass on a cold to someone'

反義詞
  • protect

    To keep someone safe from disease (often used with 'from')

  • vaccinate

    To give someone a vaccine to prevent infection

文法句型

infect + person/animal/plant

be infected with + disease

用法筆記

Often used in the passive form (be/get infected). Most commonly describes person-to-person or animal-to-person transmission through air, touch, or insects.

常見錯誤

❌The virus infected to me.
✅The virus infected me.
💡'infect' is transitive; do not add 'to' after it.
❌I infected a cold.
✅I caught a cold.' or 'I was infected with a cold.
💡'infect' describes the action of the germ or the person who passes the disease, not the person who becomes sick.
❌The food infected me with bacteria.
✅The food was infected with bacteria.
💡For objects/food, the passive form is more natural.

2. to contain harmful bacteria or germs that can cause illness, usually describing

2.動詞及物B2
釋義

to contain harmful bacteria or germs that can cause illness, usually describing a wound, cut, body part, food, or water supply that has been contaminated

例句

The nurse cleaned Élise's cut carefully to make sure it did not become infected.

often passive: become infected

Bacteria from dirty water can infect an open wound very quickly if left untreated.

infect + wound

同義詞
  • contaminate

    Broader — can refer to chemicals, radiation, or dirt, not just bacteria

  • fester

    Describes the rotting result of an infected wound, not the act of infection

反義詞
  • disinfect

    To clean something to remove harmful germs

  • sterilize

    To make something completely free of all microorganisms

文法句型

be infected (with/by + bacteria/germs)

infect + wound / cut / object

用法筆記

This sense is very frequently passive (become/get infected). The subject is typically a wound, body part, food item, or water source — not a person directly. Distinguish from sense 1 (SPREAD DISEASE), where the subject is a disease or a sick organism passing illness to another.

常見錯誤

❌The wound infected.
✅The wound became infected.' or 'Bacteria infected the wound.
💡'infect' is transitive; a wound cannot 'infect' itself.

3. to make a feeling, mood, or attitude spread from one person to another — for exa

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to make a feeling, mood, or attitude spread from one person to another — for example, a speaker's excitement infecting the audience, or a friend's optimism infecting those around them

例句

The young teacher's passion for science infected her students, and several joined the science club.

infect + group + with + emotion

Valentina's laughter was so joyful that it infected everyone in the hospital waiting room.

emotion infects people

同義詞
  • spread to

    More neutral; 'infect' suggests stronger, more irresistible emotional transfer

  • rub off on

    Informal phrasal verb — 'Her energy rubbed off on everyone.'

  • influence

    Broader and less vivid; does not carry the idea of quick, involuntary spread

反義詞
  • dampen

    To make a feeling weaker — 'The bad news dampened everyone's excitement.'

  • contain

    To keep a feeling from spreading — 'She tried to contain her panic.'

文法句型

infect + person/group + with + emotion

emotion/mood + infects + person/group

用法筆記

Frequently used with positive emotions (enthusiasm, excitement, joy, optimism, passion, laughter). The subject is usually an emotion, a person's quality, or an atmosphere. Unlike senses 1-2, there is no literal biological contamination.

常見錯誤

❌Her sadness infected to him.
✅Her sadness infected him.
💡No preposition 'to' after 'infect'.
❌The party was infected with music.
✅The party was filled with music.
💡'infect' in this sense is for feelings/emotions, not physical things like music or decorations.

4. to cause a computer, program, or file to be damaged or controlled by a malicious

4.動詞及物B2
釋義

to cause a computer, program, or file to be damaged or controlled by a malicious program or virus that copies itself

例句

A computer virus infected the company's main server and destroyed thousands of customer records.

infect + computer system

Yan's laptop was infected by a program that stole his passwords and bank details.

passive: be infected by + malware

同義詞
  • compromise

    Broader computing term — includes hacking, unauthorized access, not just malware

  • corrupt

    Focuses on the result (damaged files) rather than the act of infecting

反義詞
  • protect

    To keep a computer safe from viruses and malware

  • clean

    To remove a virus or malware from an infected system

文法句型

infect + computer / system / network / files

be infected with/by + virus / malware

用法筆記

In computing contexts, 'infect' always implies a harmful program (virus, worm, trojan, spyware, ransomware). In everyday conversation, Taiwanese users often say '電腦中毒了' (the computer is poisoned) instead of 'the computer was infected.'

常見錯誤

❌A virus infected to my computer.
✅A virus infected my computer.
💡No preposition 'to' after 'infect'.
❌My phone infected a virus.
✅My phone was infected with a virus.
💡The phone receives the infection; use the passive form.