infest
verb
in·fest
| \ in-Ëfest
\
\
infested;
infesting;
infests
Definition of infest
1
: to spread or swarm in or over in a troublesome manner
a slum infested with crime shark-infested waters
2
: to live in or on as a parasite
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Other Words from infest
infestant
\ in-Ëfe-stÉnt
\
noun
\
noun
infestation
\ Ëin-Ëfe-ËstÄ-shÉn
\
noun
\
noun
infester
\ in-Ëfe-stÉr
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of infest in a Sentence
in desperation, we called in an exterminator because the house was infested with ants
Recent Examples on the Web
No one knows how many thousands of pythons infest the Everglades. — David Fleshler, sun-sentinel.com, "During the day, these women groom dogs. At night they kill pythons," 28 June 2019 Hawaiiâs health department has released fresh warnings about a parasitic worm that can infest human brains after officials confirmed that three more visitors to the state picked up the infection. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Hawaii warns tourists of parasitic worm that can burrow into human brains," 30 May 2019 The outbreak is expected to spread this year, starting now, as warm weather spurs the beetles to leave infested spruce and move on to new host trees. — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "Voracious spruce bark beetles are back in force in Southcentral Alaska," 10 June 2018 Her research centered largely on aphids, sap-feeding insects that infest plants. — Quanta Magazine, "An Explorer of Lifeâs Deepest Partnerships," 17 Sep. 2015 The most effective treatment for plants infested with spider mites seems to be to harvest all the fruit and pull the spring plants in late June or early July. — Calvin Finch, ExpressNews.com, "How to stop the bugs eating your tomatoes, peaches," 21 June 2019 Black prisoners were typically sent to work in swamps infested with mosquitos. — Siddhartha Mahanta, The New York Review of Books, "One Manâs Quest for a Memorial to Sugar Landâs Bitter History," 4 June 2019 In one of the regionâs most bizarre lynchings, townspeople in western Bolivia tied up a woman and her two sons to a tree infested with poisonous fire ants on New Yearâs Eve in 2016, mistaking the trio for car thieves. — Samantha Pearson, WSJ, "In Latin America, Awash in Crime, Citizens Impose Their Own Brutal Justice," 6 Dec. 2018 Though not necessarily an immediate threat to people, the tick nonetheless has the potential to infest a range of species, including dogs, cats, and livestock, the department said in a statement issued Wednesday. — Frank Kummer, Philly.com, "Pets could be next target of exotic tick that infested N.J. farm," 26 Apr. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'infest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for infest
infest
verb
English Language Learners Definition of infest
of something harmful or unwanted
: to be in or over (a place, an animal, etc.) in large numbers
See the full definition for infest in the English Language Learners Dictionary
infest
verb
in·fest
| \ in-Ëfest
\
\
infested;
infesting
Kids Definition of infest
: to spread or swarm in or over in a harmful manner
Termites infested the tree.
infest
transitive verb
in·fest
| \ in-Ëfest
\
\
Medical Definition of infest
: to live in or on as a parasite
the flea that infests cats horses infested with worms
â compare infect
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