infest
verb /ɪnˈfest/
/ɪnˈfest/
[usually passive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they infest | /ɪnˈfest/ /ɪnˈfest/ |
| he / she / it infests | /ɪnˈfests/ /ɪnˈfests/ |
| past simple infested | /ɪnˈfestɪd/ /ɪnˈfestɪd/ |
| past participle infested | /ɪnˈfestɪd/ /ɪnˈfestɪd/ |
| -ing form infesting | /ɪnˈfestɪŋ/ /ɪnˈfestɪŋ/ |
- (especially of insects or animals such as rats) to exist in large numbers in a particular place, often causing damage or disease
- be infested (with something) The kitchen was infested with ants.
- shark-infested waters
- infest something These parasites infest the gills of freshwater fish.
Oxford Collocations DictionaryInfest is used with these nouns as the subject:- vermin
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘torment, harass’): from French infester or Latin infestare ‘assail’, from infestus ‘hostile’. The current sense dates from the mid 16th cent.