infuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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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)
verb
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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:
Instead, the actor chose to infuse her own heritage into the character, who uses Tamil as a way to feel connected to her late father.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026
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
Sabarad says the Tatas and Singapore Airlines will have to step up and infuse more money into the carrier to fund the mounting losses.
From BBC ● May 12, 2026
I appreciate a suggestion to infuse playfulness into moments of potential frustration, namely “transition moments.”
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
But somehow I couldn’t infuse my voice with the proper outrage.
From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
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
In her best quotable moments, she seamlessly infuses her sometimes shrill timbre with a dash of Southern drawl.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
Happily, Mr. Hamilton, who retains his boyish handsomeness, infuses this recollected ardor with convincing feeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 5, 2026
Göransson, Coogler’s longtime collaborator, infuses a born-and-bred love and appreciation for the Delta blues into his sweeping melodies.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
Heaviness infuses my whole body, as if there's liquid lead in my veins.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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
While the run in Qatar was twinged with disbelief, their journey in North America has been infused with purpose.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 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
The record’s arrangements can mostly be described as lo-fi indie rock infused with goth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Let’s say the greatest storyteller to ever entertain had infused it with magic somehow.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
The revised format, he said, amped up the drama by infusing onscreen interpersonal relationships into the already high-stakes competition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026
Bumble is “actively infusing AI into the core Bumble experience and recommendations algorithm,” Herd said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
CAR T is a complex treatment that works by manipulating a patient’s own disease-fighting white blood cells—known as T cells—and then infusing them back into the body to fight cancer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 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
It thickened the broth instantly, tinting it orange and infusing it with oily richness.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
