implant
Americanverb (used with object)
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implants,
present (3rd person singular)
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implanted,
past participle, past
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implanting
present participle
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to put or fix firmly.
to implant sound principles in a child's mind.
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to plant securely.
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Medicine/Medical. to insert or graft (a tissue, organ, or inert substance) into the body.
noun
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implants
plural
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Medicine/Medical.
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any device or material, especially of an inert substance, used for repairing or replacing part of the body.
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medication or radioactive material inserted into tissue for sustained therapy.
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Dentistry.
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an artificial tooth that has been inserted permanently into the jaw.
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a metal framework attached to the bones of the jaw for supporting artificial teeth.
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verb
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to establish firmly; inculcate; instil
to implant sound moral principles
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to plant or embed; infix; entrench
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surgery
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to graft (a tissue) into the body
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to insert (a radioactive substance, hormone, etc) into the tissues
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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implantsimple
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implantssimple
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have implantedperfect
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has implantedperfect
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am implantingprogressive
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are implantingprogressive
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is implantingprogressive
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have been implantingperfect progressive
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has been implantingperfect progressive
Past
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implantedsimple
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had implantedperfect
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was implantingprogressive
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were implantingprogressive
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had been implantingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of implant
Explanation
When you implant something, you place or embed it solidly: you might implant marbles in the damp concrete of a newly poured sidewalk, for example. There are a couple of different ways to implant something — the first is to physically fix an item deeply, the way you might implant a croquet wicket in the ground. A more figurative way to implant is to settle an idea into someone's mind. You could accidentally implant a fear of highway driving in your younger brother's mind, for example, by telling him stories of traffic accidents. Implant comes from the French word implanter, "to insert."
Vocabulary lists containing implant
Wonder
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Tears of a Tiger
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Lessons 2–3
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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.
See Examples For:
Since his diagnosis, Holmes has had to relearn how to walk, is profoundly deaf and has a cochlear implant.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
“My cochlear implant, it breaks everything down into digital bits so I can understand,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Scientists have found that using a radioactive implant precisely where a tumor was removed in the brain can help patients get their cancer treated more quickly and in many cases, live longer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
Speaking at Bernstein’s Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, CEO Michael Mahoney flagged “a declining usage of Watchman stand-alone procedures,” referring to Boston Scientific’s flagship heart implant.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Jam rubbed her upper arm as they stepped outside after the movie; the theater had been chilly, and sometimes the hormone implant in her arm ached when she got cold.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Harbour: A lot of tragedy and Botox and implants gone wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
She says the technology could also be adapted to help protect sensitive parts of the body during MRI exams by reducing unwanted heating around medical implants.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
He continued to receive treatments back in South Korea, including tooth implants and having skin moved from the back of his neck to his chin to enable him to close his lips and talk properly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Five were listed as "wrong site" procedures, two involved incorrect implants, two involved retained objects such as swabs left inside patients, and one involved medicine administered by the incorrect route.
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
If El Patron’s mind was slipping, it meant he was ready for another dose of fetal brain implants.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
They implanted the keratin membranes into rats with skull defects that were large enough that they would not normally heal on their own.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
Towle was not shy about showing her stomach, where she had a hepatic artery pump implanted, on social media.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
A week after the last procedure, the device they implanted fell out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Neuralink is developing tiny computer chips that can be implanted in the human brain, with the stated goal of helping people with paralysis or neurological conditions communicate using only their thoughts.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
By 3:52 p.m., less than two hours after Miele’s first symptoms, his artery was reopened and Slater implanted a stent to keep it that way.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
Commenting on the work, Prof Borut Kovacic, Chair-elect of ESHRE, said researchers are trying to better understand the "cross-talk" that happens between the implanting embryo and womb lining.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Brain-computer interfaces exist today, but many of them rely on drilling a hole in the skull and implanting a physical interface to allow the brain to communicate with external devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
In an early phase clinical trial, doctors are implanting specially engineered stem cells into the brain.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 20, 2026
Swiss researchers meanwhile have enabled several paralysed people to regain significant control of their body -- including walking again -- by implanting electrodes into their spinal cords.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
That may explain why some were willing to sell their teeth to their master for implanting in his own mouth.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
