infection

American  

[in-fek-shuhn] / ɪnˈfɛk ʃən /

noun

infections plural

1. an act or fact of infecting; state of being infected.

2. an infecting with germs of disease, as through the medium of infected insects, air, water, or clothing.

3. an infecting agency or influence.

4. an infectious disease.

   Is this infection very dangerous?

5. the condition of suffering an infection.

6. corruption of another's opinions, beliefs, moral principles, etc.; moral contamination.

7. an influence or impulse passing from one to another and affecting feeling or action.

8. Grammar. (in Celtic languages) assimilation in which a vowel is influenced by a following vowel or semivowel; umlaut.

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infection British  

/ ɪnˈfɛkʃən /

noun

1. invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms

2. the resulting condition in the tissues

3. an infectious disease

4. the act of infecting or state of being infected

5. an agent or influence that infects

6. persuasion or corruption, as by ideas, perverse influences, etc

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infection Scientific  

/ ĭn-fĕk′shən /

1. The invasion of the body of a human or an animal by a pathogen such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus. Infections can be localized, as in pharyngitis, or widespread as in sepsis, and are often accompanied by fever and an increased number of white blood cells. Individuals with immunodeficiency syndromes are predisposed to certain infections.

2. See also infectious disease opportunistic infection

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infection Cultural  

1. Invasion of the body or a body part by a pathogenic organism, which multiplies and produces harmful effects on the body's tissues.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noninfection
  noun
• preinfection
  noun
• reinfection
  noun
• subinfection
  noun
• postinfection
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• infections
  plural

Etymology

Origin of infection

1350–1400; Middle English infeccio ( u ) n < Late Latin infectiōn- (stem of infectiō ). See infect, -ion

Explanation

Infections are what happens when germs invade your body and cause a disease. Some, like meningitis, an infection of the tissues covering the brain and spinal cord, can be deadly. Others, like the common cold, are relatively mild. If you've ever scraped your knee and ended up with a swollen, achy scab, you know that you can develop an infection if you don't tend to your cuts and wounds and keep them clean. Though the word was traditionally used in the medical sense to refer to the pathogens, or germs, that cause illness, infection is now sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to people or things that act like pathogens. If rival gangs turn a neighborhood into a battleground, you could refer to this as an infection of gang activity.

Example Sentences

"In an 'M1' state, microphages promote inflammation to fight damage or infection, but prolonged M1 activity can also harm healthy tissue," Subramanian notes.

From Science Daily • Jul. 12, 2026

The big black boots and dark green trousers both Connor and Charlotte wear offer protection from spills and infection, but they are not cool items of clothing.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026

There have been cases of cyclosporiasis infection in California this year, but none has been linked to the current outbreak.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2026

Over the next month, he underwent three surgeries, including for an infection and facial reconstruction.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026

His father was horrified, and when the boy developed an eye infection he whisked him away from the monastery to see a doctor in Florence.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• bug
• disease
• epidemic
• flu
• pollution
• virus