infect

1. (transitive) 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.Examples: "Not everyone will be infected when an epidemic strikes."; "Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola."; "Ms. Tang’s inevitable contact with people who are ill has started to worry her. It did not help when she learned that someone living in a building near her own, in Siu Sai Wan, had been infected by the virus."transitive

2. (transitive) To contaminate (an object or substance) with a pathogen.Synonyms: lepertransitive

3. (transitive) To make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion, or to communicate a feeling to others, or a feeling communicating itself to others.Examples: "Her passion for dancing has infected me."; "Guido, by way of diverting the embarrassment which seemed to infect them all, began to unfasten the packet of letters."transitive