implant
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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:
Lewis explained that he uses a cochlear implant to help him hear and understand speech, but he is unable to distinguish pitch because of the way the device operates.
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
In January, Musk had said that Neuralink was waiting for regulatory approval to implant the BCI meant to restore patients’ vision.
From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026
Organon is best known for its Nexplanon contraceptive implant, but also offers fertility treatments and an expanding pipeline of biosimilars, Food and Drug Administration-approved versions of existing drugs.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
“In order to comply with these demands, I ask that everyone make their way to the Gathering Place to report whether you have an implant or not,” he says.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
The Niffakoq are enhanced by six niks, small brain implants that increase their physical and mental abilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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
In Manchester, Sue paid around £9,500 to have her implants removed in 2025.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Depressed incomes could weigh on the appetite for air travel, cellphone upgrades, even dental implants.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
And what was the source of El Patron’s fetal implants?
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
But after the donor heart was implanted, it began beating straight away.
From BBC ● May 21, 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
Rounding the corner, hey, it’s the surgeon who implanted the world’s first Neurolink.
From Slate ● May 8, 2026
Then again, Dossett, who was dying of cancer, also had a morphine pump surgically implanted in his chest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
It would move in a straight fine until Matt told it to go right or left, and it wouldn’t pass the boundary implanted in its brain.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
The new method involved implanting a lengthening nail on the surface of Alfie's right thigh bone, which is slowly pulled over time using magnets.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
In clinical terms, IVF involves removing eggs from a woman, fertilizing them in a lab with sperm and implanting embryos in the uterus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
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
It is also common in IVF to screen embryos for genetic defects before implanting them and to discard those that are unlikely to result in a pregnancy or live birth.
From Slate ● Oct. 21, 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.
