implement
Americannoun
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implements
plural
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any article used in some activity, especially an instrument, tool, or utensil.
agricultural implements.
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an article of equipment, as household furniture, clothing, ecclesiastical vestments, or the like.
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a means; agent.
human beings as an implement of divine plan.
verb (used with object)
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implements,
present (3rd person singular)
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implemented,
past participle, past
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implementing
present participle
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to fulfill; perform; carry out.
Once in office, he failed to implement his campaign promises.
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to put into effect according to or by means of a definite plan or procedure.
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Computers. to realize or instantiate (an element in a program), often under certain conditions as specified by the software involved.
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to fill out or supplement.
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to provide with implements.
noun
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a piece of equipment; tool or utensil
gardening implements
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something used to achieve a purpose; agent
verb
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to carry out; put into action; perform
to implement a plan
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archaic to complete, satisfy, or fulfil
Usage
What are other ways to say implement? The word implement broadly refers to any article used in some activity. When should you use this noun over tool, instrument, or utensil? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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implementationnoun
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implementernoun
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implementornoun
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nonimplementnoun
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reimplementverb (used with object)
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implementableadjective
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implementaladjective
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nonimplementaladjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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implementsimple
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implementssimple
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have implementedperfect
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has implementedperfect
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am implementingprogressive
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are implementingprogressive
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is implementingprogressive
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have been implementingperfect progressive
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has been implementingperfect progressive
Past
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implementedsimple
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had implementedperfect
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was implementingprogressive
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were implementingprogressive
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had been implementingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of implement
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Late Latin implēmentum “a filling up,” equivalent to Latin implē(re) “to fill up” ( im- im- 1 + plēre “to fill” ) + -mentum -ment
Explanation
Apply the noun implement when you want to use a fancy word for "tool." A knife and fork are implements for handling food. The noun implement is a very useful word for just about anything you want to describe as a tool or a thing that helps you do something. An implement can be as simple as chimpanzees using a stick to eat ants with or a bulldozer that moves huge amounts of earth in building. The word relates to something that "fills up" a house, as in all sorts of things that allow a house to work properly.
Vocabulary lists containing implement
Essential English Vocabulary, List 1
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"A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry
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30 GRE Words Beginning with "I"
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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:
County could become among the first major election jurisdictions to implement guidance or policy related to prediction markets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The chain had been struggling for years with declining traffic and an aging clientele, and Masino gave herself three years to implement a turnaround strategy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Szoboszlai's physicality allows him to cover the ground needed to make Liverpool's press feel numerically equal, while his judgement of when to step forward has helped the Reds start to implement Iraola's defensive ideas quickly.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Downtown L.A. should be a priority zone where the city could implement a white glove approach to helping retailers,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
The principal reason for its success was its innovative techniques of terracing and irrigation, the latter being used to implement the former.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Rather than serving as a heavy hammer, it functioned as a softer striking tool used to repair and sharpen stone handaxes and other cutting implements after their edges became worn.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026
The project is one of the major street redesigns moving forward as Los Angeles implements Measure HLA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The NAP should be reviewed every four years to ensure the measures it implements are relevant to the current situation.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
Since tariffs discourage the purchase of imported goods, a country that implements them and has significant market power will effectively force foreign sellers to reduce prices over time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Waiting on table was certainly not his forte; he had still to master platters and serving implements, and would fling the food down however he could.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Australian authorities had initially planned a nationwide gun buyback, though plans have been delayed over funding and how it would be implemented.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Macron's office said after the ruling that the French government would work "as quickly as possible" to propose a new draft and said the president was determined to see the reform implemented by early 2027.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Commission President Rasha Gerges Shields said the department could have examined whether reforms that were called for in 2020 had been implemented — and areas where the department still needed to improve.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
A peace agreement signed in November 2022 put an end to the fighting, but several key points, such as the return of displaced people or the disarmament of the TPLF, have never been implemented.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The new system had been developed and implemented swiftly, and it was largely invisible, even to people, like me, who spent most of their waking hours fighting for justice.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
"It leads to a situation where even if there were real time savings, it would be sucked up by the changes, and implementing them, and making sure they worked," Thompson said.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Age verification for social media users is becoming increasingly popular by regulators around the world, though implementing such policies has proven complex and difficult.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
“That would be roughly $195,000 in tax savings just by implementing some advanced tax strategies,” Holmes wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The regulation allowing marital status to be considered has been around since 1996, when then-California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush included it in regulations implementing Proposition 103.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
This was her idea they were talking about implementing.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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.
