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:
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
The company has also forecast a big increase in spending for this year as it looks to build data centers, release new AI models and further infuse its core advertising business with AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 11, 2026
Melquíades talked to him about the world, tried to infuse him with his old wisdom, but he refused to translate the manuscripts.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
“Cats” is still “Cats” — now and forever, as the musical’s iconic slogan warned — but this production infuses the old lion with new vitality.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 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
Vicioso infuses wisdom into her instruction on floral arrangements: There are no mistakes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 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
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
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
Those who were working with him for the first time were instantly infused with his confidence, not to mention his sense of urgency.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
For nearly five decades, they served up diner classics like steak and eggs and a hearty stack of pancakes while infusing the meals with touches that showcased their Chinese heritage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Research focused on using chemotherapy and radiation to wipe out diseased bone marrow, then infusing healthy donor cells to create a new immune system capable of attacking cancer and rebuilding the body’s defenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 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
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.
