to force (a fluid) into a passage, cavity, or tissue.
to inject a medicine into the veins.
to introduce (something new or different).
to inject humor into a situation.
to introduce arbitrarily or inappropriately; intrude.
to interject (a remark, suggestion, etc.), as into conversation.
med to introduce (a fluid) into (the body of a person or animal) by means of a syringe or similar instrument
(foll by into) to introduce (a new aspect or element)
to inject humour into a scene
to interject (a comment, idea, etc)
to place (a rocket, satellite, etc) in orbit
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin injectus, past participle of in(j)icere “to throw in,” equivalent to in- “in” + -jec- (combining form of jac- “to throw”) + -tus past participle suffix; see in- 2
From the Latin word injectiō
To inject is to give an injection, or a shot. When your doctor tells you that you need a flu shot, she wants to inject you with a vaccine that will help keep you from getting sick. You are most likely to hear the verb inject at the doctor's office. Veterinarians inject dogs each year with rabies vaccines, and sometimes if you're sick enough, a doctor or nurse might need to inject you with antibiotics. You can use inject in a figurative way, too: "I'd like to inject a new topic into this conversation, it's getting so boring." The Latin root is inicere, "to throw in" or "to throw on."
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Zverev's ability to inject more pace in the baseline exchanges helped him decisively break in the 10th game of the third set, but tension took hold in a dramatic fourth set.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
She quickly discovered that available pelvic models have hard plastic shells around the cervix where providers practice injecting; this prevents trainees from getting the necessary tactile feedback to learn where to inject.
From Slate • Jun. 7, 2026
The U.S. president can stop or start wars, inject billions of dollars of public money into markets and topple foreign heads of state.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
To administer genetic medicines against the tau protein tangles that are Alzheimer’s’ other main pathology, doctors must inject them directly into the cerebrospinal fluid.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Harry asked, trying to inject a note of common sense into the proceedings.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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.
