Jump To:

• inject
  inject

  verb (used with object)

  to force (a fluid) into a passage, cavity, or tissue.
• inject.
  inject.

  abbreviation

  (in prescriptions) an injection.

inject

¹ American  

[in-jekt] / ɪnˈdʒɛkt /

verb (used with object)

• injects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• injected,
  past participle,  past
• injecting
  present participle

1. to force (a fluid) into a passage, cavity, or tissue.

   to inject a medicine into the veins.

2. to introduce (something new or different).

   to inject humor into a situation.

3. to introduce arbitrarily or inappropriately; intrude.

4. to interject (a remark, suggestion, etc.), as into conversation.

---

inject. ² American  

abbreviation

1. (in prescriptions) an injection.

---

inject British  

/ ɪnˈdʒɛkt /

verb

1. med to introduce (a fluid) into (the body of a person or animal) by means of a syringe or similar instrument

2. (foll by into) to introduce (a new aspect or element)

   to inject humour into a scene

3. to interject (a comment, idea, etc)

4. to place (a rocket, satellite, etc) in orbit

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• reinject
  verb (used with object)
• injectable
  adjective
• uninjected
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• injecting
  present
• injected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• inject
  simple
• injects
  simple
• have injected
  perfect
• has injected
  perfect
• am injecting
  progressive
• are injecting
  progressive
• is injecting
  progressive
• have been injecting
  perfect progressive
• has been injecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• injected
  simple
• had injected
  perfect
• was injecting
  progressive
• were injecting
  progressive
• had been injecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will inject
  simple
• will have injected
  perfect
• will be injecting
  progressive
• will have been injecting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of inject¹

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

Origin of inject.²

From the Latin word injectiō

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

inject injects injected injecting

The deal covers Nanexa’s PharmaShell technology, which could cut the frequency that patients need to inject obesity and diabetes drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

They were also able to inject different substances at separate depths, with delivery points spaced almost three millimeters apart.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

Hickey's job is to find the parts of that landscape which have been damaged, and inject life into it.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

Yee Eun Nam’s projections inject into this transient world a welcome subtlety.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

They are going to inject me with outer space truth serum.

From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King

“Slower model development injects uncertainty, but we are skeptical it reduces total demand over time,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

It also injects a bit of saliva, which contains anticoagulants to prevent the host’s blood from clotting as the mosquito feeds.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

He consistently injects pace into his team's attack with his direct nature both with and without the ball.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Set in a fictional black neighborhood in Ohio, “Sula” injects macabre horror and supernatural elements into its portrayal of an ecstatically intimate female friendship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Air pressure is supplied by an electric motor that sucks air from the outside and passes it through virus filters and then injects it into the suit.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

“No human heuristics were injected into it,” said Folkert Huizinga, a researcher who worked on Leela.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

In the mouse tests, the researchers injected the liver cells and microspheres into fatty tissue called the perigonadal adipose tissue.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

And shares in MediaTek soared nearly 10 percent after US tech giant Nvidia announced it has injected US$3.5 billion into the Taiwanese chipmaker.

From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026

She showed herself being injected, saying: "I'm old enough to get it and I'm smart enough to get it."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

“Can you believe they even gave her that AID virus and injected her into monkeys?”

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

The complaint also accuses Peters of injecting Mendoza “multiple times” with a “fat-dissolving” drug during a November livestream.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

By injecting a solution into banded iron formations, the researchers were able to increase hydrogen generation, raising the possibility that naturally produced hydrogen could one day be deliberately enhanced underground.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026

“When we heard our voices, it was like injecting some kind of serum into your veins,” Parton said of the project.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

He entered the race in May, injecting uncertainty into a contest that had long appeared to be Hichilema's to lose.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

I try to relax, injecting a bounce into my step as Tobias suggested, letting my arms swing as I turn corners.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• add
• implant
• infuse
• insert
• instill
• interject