infested; infesting; infests
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
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
Over the past year, the Daily News has chronicled a string of violent incidents and instances of medical mistreatment at MDC Brooklyn, where inmates often complain about near-constant lockdowns, rotten and infested food and filthy conditions.
—
John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2024
Fungus gnats, which are the most common species of gnats, are often found infesting plants around the house, hanging around lights or commercial greenhouses, or congregating in other damp places like sink drains or garbage disposals.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024
Citrus greening, a bacteriological infection that ultimately kills infected trees, has infested 80% of the trees according to a 2019 survey by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences.
—Steve Wilson | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Dec. 2024
The government either infested the skies with drones to take the public’s focus away from the orbs (which are being spotted much more rarely than the drones) or to use the drones for surveillance of the orbs.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for infest 
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John Annese, New York Daily News, 12 Nov. 2024
Fungus gnats, which are the most common species of gnats, are often found infesting plants around the house, hanging around lights or commercial greenhouses, or congregating in other damp places like sink drains or garbage disposals.
—Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024
Citrus greening, a bacteriological infection that ultimately kills infected trees, has infested 80% of the trees according to a 2019 survey by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences.
—Steve Wilson | The Center Square, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Dec. 2024
The government either infested the skies with drones to take the public’s focus away from the orbs (which are being spotted much more rarely than the drones) or to use the drones for surveillance of the orbs.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 17 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for infest
Dictionary Entries Near infest
Cite this Entry
“Infest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/infest. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
infest
verb
in·fest
in-ˈfest 
1
: to spread or swarm in or over in a troublesome manner
a neighborhood infested with crime
shark-infested waters
2
: to live in or on as a parasite
horses infested with worms
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