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.

They calculated that the virus’s infectiousness—an estimate of how many people one contagious person will infect on average—is 2.1.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

Although entirely rational, it does seem rude to run screaming from your relatives’ home for fear that they will infect you.

From Washington Post • Sep. 7, 2022

Will is haunted by fear that his mother will infect the rest of his life, that he could become like her.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2022

By mid-February, Omicron will infect up to 40 percent of the U.S. population, one projection estimates, dwarfing the 8 percent that get sick from flu each season.

From Scientific American • Feb. 11, 2022

“This island is covered with Devil’s Club. Don’t grab it or hundreds of tiny thistles will infect your hands and make them swell up like sausages.”

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen