infuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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infuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
infused,
past participle, past
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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:
Bardem worked with renowned dialect coach Tim Monich to infuse his speech with a hint of a Southern drawl, aware that his character didn’t have to sound like a native speaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 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
I appreciate a suggestion to infuse playfulness into moments of potential frustration, namely “transition moments.”
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Traditional automakers have sometimes tried to infuse outsider know-how into their operations, with often bleak results, from abandoned robotaxi projects to costly, unpopular EVs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 5, 2026
That they would infuse her skin, her bones, her blood, even her hair with magic.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
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
A towering performance that is also impressively contoured, Lithgow’s portrayal of dyspeptic British author Roald Dahl infuses Mark Rosenblatt’s drama with chilling mystery.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026
Unlike synthetic entities, humans are capable of faith, which infuses life with meaning.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 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
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
The campaigns were infused with the revolutionary spirit of the time but underpinned by Bailey's forensic understanding of the law.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Victoria Gray sat in a Nashville, Tenn., hospital in 2019 while doctors infused her own genetically engineered cells back into her veins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
But instead of gossiping about who’s dating whom, collaborators batted around their pasts and infused the darkly comedic anthology series with themes of samsara and the Jungian Shadow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 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
It was infused with the power of Athena.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
Outside China, big tech companies such as Google are busy infusing smartphones with increasingly advanced AI features such as the ability to book appointments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
In speeches and interviews over the past year, Warsh has laid out an agenda that calls for infusing the institution with new thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
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
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
Sarai could feel it growing, and even sense it brightening, as though Sparrow were infusing it with light.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
