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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Infiltrate: Definition, Examples, and Usage Guide (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：enter secretly (infiltrate)

infiltrate 🔊

/ˈɪnfɪltreɪt/

To enter a place or group secretly to get information or do something.

Infiltrate stealthy person climbing fence at night

enter secretly 🔊

➕

/ˈɛntər ˈsiːkrɪtli/

To gain access to a place or organization in a concealed manner, often for espionage or covert operations.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

'in-' (into) + 'filtrate' (to filter); literally 'to filter into'.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine 'in' + 'filter' — like filtering through a net to gain secret access.

📖 Example

The journalist managed to infiltrate the company by posing as a job applicant. 🔊 The journalist pretended to be a job applicant and succeeded in secretly entering the company.

🔗 Collocations

infiltrate an organization – secretly enter an organization to gather information

infiltrate enemy lines – secretly cross into the area controlled by the opponent

infiltrate a group – become a member of a group in a hidden way

🔄 Synonyms

penetrate (v.) – to enter or force a way into something, especially with difficulty

insinuate (v.) – to gradually and subtly gain acceptance or access

intrude (v.) – to enter without permission or welcome

🚫 Antonyms

depart (v.) – to leave a place, especially in a formal or planned way

evacuate (v.) – to remove people from a dangerous place

withdraw (v.) – to pull back or remove oneself from a situation

🌱 Derivatives

infiltration (n.) – the act of entering secretly

infiltrator (n.) – a person who infiltrates

📖 Cultural Story

From Latin 'infiltrare', meaning 'to filter in'. Used in espionage since WWII to describe secret entry into enemy territory.

Meaning 2：spread into gradually (infiltrate)

infiltrate 🔊

/ˈɪnfɪltreɪt/

To gradually spread into or affect a place, group, or thing.

Infiltrate blue ink spreading slowly into paper fibers

spread into gradually 🔊

➕

/sprɛd ˈɪntuː ˈɡrædʒuəli/

To permeate or diffuse into a place, group, or system slowly and often imperceptibly.

📁 Category：Culture & History 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

New trends from abroad are beginning to infiltrate the local fashion scene. 🔊 Foreign trends are slowly starting to influence the local fashion industry.

🔗 Collocations

infiltrate the market – gradually enter and gain presence in a commercial market

infiltrate a culture – slowly become part of a different culture

infiltrate a system – spread into and affect a system over time

🔄 Synonyms

permeate (v.) – to spread throughout something

diffuse (v.) – to spread over a wide area or among many people

saturate (v.) – to fill something completely with a substance or influence

🚫 Antonyms

evacuate (v.) – to remove all contents from a place

purge (v.) – to remove unwanted elements from a group or system

🌱 Derivatives

infiltrative (adj.) – tending to infiltrate or spread into