Insects, vermin or other nuisances may infest something.
- The rats that infested Hamelin Town were lured away by the Pied Piper.
The object of the infestation (e.g., a place, a person, an animal) is infested with (or occasionally by) that nuisance.
- Cottage country is infested with (or by) black flies and mosquitos in May and June.
- Niagara Falls is infested with honeymooners in the spring.
- Children infested with head lice are the bane of teachers and parents alike.
As a modifier, infested is always hyphenated with the preceding word.
- The flea-infested cats roamed the factory in search of mice.
Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Search by related themes
Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.
Related links
- Writing Tips Plus (home page)
- Writing tools
- Language Navigator (for fast access to language tips)
- TERMIUM Plus®