implement
Americannoun
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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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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:
Measures to limit the level of "forever chemicals" in Jersey's water could cost more than £200m and take years to implement, Jersey Water says.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The National Park Service announced in February — after the agency under the Biden administration studied extensively how to best implement a reservation system — that officials would instead use “targeted management.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Yet its authority is not self-executing: It relies on lower courts to implement its decisions, extend their logic, and normalize the resulting excesses.
From Slate ● Jul. 17, 2026
Economists have long called on Beijing to implement deep reforms to rebalance China’s economy and reduce reliance on manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
He remained in the army, helping to implement Reconstruction policies that guaranteed the black vote.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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The project is one of the major street redesigns moving forward as Los Angeles implements Measure HLA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
A number of items listed on the charge sheet including Le Creuset and Joseph Joseph kitchen implements, an Alessi teapot and various Molton Brown toiletries were found inside the vehicle.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
If he implements pro-market reforms, economic growth will take care of the rest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Such observations could help California decide where to prioritize Joshua tree conservation as it implements a sweeping plan to protect the plants from climate threats.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Bass and the other archaeologists concluded the merchant captain of the ship used these broken implements as scrap bronze, which he or someone else could melt down to make brand-new tools.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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Three days after the executive order, the White House implemented the order through National Security Presidential Memorandum 7, which converts the fiction into machinery.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
"When the right decision has to be implemented in spite of the system, rather than because of it, it means that the system itself needs to change," he said in a rare public intervention.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
VAR, a video replay system implemented to correct blatant errors in soccer, has come under fire for harming the spirit of the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
“No state has implemented proper warning labels in a way that’s actually meaningful, and no state has implemented proper THC limits in a way that’s at all meaningful.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
It is impossible to get round the problem that Papin’s steam-pressure engine could not be made to work to power a boat unless it was implemented on a large scale.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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Cindy Allen, chief executive of Trade Force Multiplier, an international trade and customs consulting firm, said importers and customs brokers are implementing more technology to help manage changing trade policy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“We’re just implementing the agenda of the president as we’ve been directed through the national security strategy and the White House,” the State Department official told ProPublica.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Meta and Oracle slashed over 10% of their workforces in favor of implementing AI into its operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
Plans for the proposed "anti-weaponisation" fund were abandoned in early June, just one week after another judge temporarily prevented justice department officials from implementing it.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Which meant Naheed could start implementing her making-amends plan right away.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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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.