infest
To inhabit a place in unpleasantly large numbers; to plague, harass.
Example
“Insects are infesting my basement!”
Other meanings
To invade a host plant or animal.
Synonyms
- plague
- overrun
Related words
- disinfest
- infestive
- infestment
- preinfest
- reinfest
Word history
From Latin "īnfestō" (assail, molest).
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “infest” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.