infuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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infuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infused,
past participle, past
-
infusing
present participle
-
to introduce, as if by pouring; cause to penetrate; instill (usually followed byinto ).
The energetic new principal infused new life into the school.
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to imbue or inspire (usually followed bywith ).
The new coach infused the team with enthusiasm.
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to steep or soak (leaves, bark, roots, etc.) in a liquid so as to extract the soluble properties or ingredients.
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Obsolete. to pour in.
verb (used without object)
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infuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infused,
past participle, past
-
infusing
present participle
verb
-
to instil or inculcate
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to inspire; emotionally charge
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to soak or be soaked in order to extract flavour or other properties
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rare (foll by into) to pour
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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infusernoun
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reinfuseverb (used with object)
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superinfuseverb (used with object)
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uninfusedadjective
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uninfusingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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infusesimple
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infusessimple
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have infusedperfect
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has infusedperfect
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am infusingprogressive
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are infusingprogressive
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is infusingprogressive
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have been infusingperfect progressive
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has been infusingperfect progressive
Past
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infusedsimple
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had infusedperfect
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was infusingprogressive
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were infusingprogressive
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had been infusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of infuse
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin infūsus, past participle of infundere “to pour into”; see in- 2, fuse 2
Explanation
To infuse is to steep something in a liquid to extract the flavors from it. You'll impress your friends with your cooking if you infuse rosemary and thyme in broth and then use the liquid to marinate chicken. To infuse also means to inspire or fill with a certain quality. Your goal might be to infuse your writing with such humor that your readers laugh until they cry. The medical meaning of infuse is to introduce a medicinal therapy through a patient's vein. When you're badly dehydrated, doctors may need to infuse you with fluids. The Latin root infusus means "to pour into."
Vocabulary lists containing infuse
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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Donald Trump Inauguration Address- January 20, 2017
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"This Is Water" by David Foster Wallace
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I marveled at their energy, which seemed to feed off the audience and then infuse it with even more power.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
I appreciate a suggestion to infuse playfulness into moments of potential frustration, namely “transition moments.”
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Kraft Heinz’s board signed off on a plan to infuse $600 million into the business, what Cahillane on Wednesday called “dry powder” to be deployed throughout the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
The new blood need to infuse Scotland with some verve.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
But somehow I couldn’t infuse my voice with the proper outrage.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
After losing both his grandmother and his close friend Oscar Botello, the late producer better known as Milkman, Díaz infuses the album with sentimental tributes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Now I have more time for it, steaming it in a woven Algerian basket that infuses the aroma of the reeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Michael Arden, who won a Tony for directing last year’s best musical winner, “Maybe Happy Ending,” infuses his visually spectacular production of “The Lost Boys” with a refreshing 21st century sensitivity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
The song is usually more spoken than sung, but Kirk infuses it with melody and soul.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 1, 2026
The shadows from the trees shift in the soft light, and the smell of wet earth infuses the air.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Later, in 1970s Manhattan, a quirky egalitarianism infused the city’s most famous disco, Studio 54.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
Forte Chocolates’ rosemary-orange caramels are another excellent small bite: honey caramel infused with rosemary, bright orange and a dash of salt, all enrobed in dark chocolate.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
His account of Reconstruction is infused with outrage at a constitutional order that denied Black people membership in the political community of the very nation their labor had helped build.
From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026
McCartney's father Jim infused the house with music, bashing out self-taught tunes on an old piano.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
But it is also clear that they were infused by the democratic, informal brashness of Native American culture.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
“The gift is really aimed at sort of infusing AI techniques and tools technologies into all of those disciplines,” Stevens said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Mr. Kene comes closest to infusing his contributions with a comradely warmth, occasionally leaning forward in his chair as if to establish a closer connection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
But many Davos attendees welcomed the American vibe infusing this year's forum, seen also in the predominance of US companies taking over storefronts along the promenade to set up their private pavilions.
From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026
The German spoke about infusing those players with "belief and self confidence" and how they had been "outstanding" in recent weeks.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2026
I memorized the part about the human voice infusing words.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
