implement

noun

im·ple·ment | \ˈim-plə-mənt

Definition of implement

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an article serving to equip the implements of religious worship

2 : a device used in the performance of a task : tool, utensil

3 : one that serves as an instrument or tool the partnership agreement does not seem to be a very potent implement— H. B. Hoffman

implement

verb

im·ple·ment | \ˈim-plə-ˌment

implemented; implementing; implements

Definition of implement (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : carry out, accomplish especially : to give practical effect to and ensure of actual fulfillment by concrete measures

2 : to provide instruments or means of expression for

Other Words from implement Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about implement

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Other Words from implement

Verb

implementation \ˌim-plə-mən-ˈtā-shən,

-ˌmen- \ noun

implementer or implementor \ˈim-plə-ˌmen-tər

\ noun

Synonyms for implement

Synonyms: Noun

device, instrument, tool, utensil

Synonyms: Verb

administer, apply, enforce, execute

Choose the Right Synonym for implement

Noun

implement, tool, instrument, appliance, utensil mean a relatively simple device for performing work. implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task. crude stone implements farm implements tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement. a carpenter's tools instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work. the dentist's instruments appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment. household appliances utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity. kitchen utensils

Examples of implement in a Sentence

Noun

They eat with us, do the beach with us; the girls, K.C. and Jessica, buy kitchen implements for us, come over to casually straighten up, make beds, clear the dishes from the sink and the bedrooms … — Dave Eggers, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, 2000 In the toolhouse … there were also antique implements worn like prehistoric artifacts: an ancient oblong pink whetstone pointed at either end and soapily warped by all its use, and an old-fashioned square hoe worn into a lopsided metal oval … — John Updike, The Afterlife, 1994 There was a little implement called a lemon zester that she had bought from a door-to-door salesman. — Ann Beattie, New Yorker, 28 Dec. 1987 stone implements used in prehistoric times a sharp-edged implement used to chop wood

Verb

A federal interagency group should develop and implement a risk management strategy to reduce human exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like chemicals in food, says a report from the Institute of Medicine … — Bette Hileman, Chemical & Engineering News, 7 July 2003 … drew scattered snickers when he implemented a dress code for Senate staffers … — Michelle Cottle, New Republic, 12 July 1999 States remain years behind in implementing child support regulations … — New York Times, 30 Dec. 1997 I wondered how I might best implement his plan. Due to high costs, the program was never fully implemented.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Within the standard set of deathmatch, capture-the-flag, and free-for-all modes, Black Ops 4 implements two new systems that purport to change the gameplay significantly. — Julie Muncy, Ars Technica, "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 review: War games, now with battle royale!," 19 Oct. 2018 In Endless West’s 1,800-square-foot lab, there are no implements ordinarily associated with making wine or whiskey. — Alan Goldfarb, The Verge, "Artificial whiskey is coming, and one company is betting you’ll drink up," 23 Aug. 2018 Despite his large fleet of implements, McCloskey does not farm. — Mitchell Kirk, Post-Tribune, "Cass County man collects tractors from around the world," 6 July 2018 The former physics major — who uses single-length irons, relies on vector putting and implements a single-plane swing — has made plenty of noise with his unorthodox methods. — Dargan Southard, USA TODAY, "Bryson DeChambeau says compass was never meant to 'skirt the rules'," 11 July 2018 Everything about shaving was alien to me; the rituals, the implements and even the necessity. — New York Times, "What My Father Gave Me," 16 June 2018 Brown, a Cubs player whose pitching hand was mangled in a farm-implement mishap. — Phil Vettel, chicagotribune.com, "Review: Will Wentworth's cooking at Mordecai earn him another Michelin star?," 8 June 2018 His Fiat implement from the early 1960s came from a junkyard in Illinois. — Mitchell Kirk, Post-Tribune, "Cass County man collects tractors from around the world," 6 July 2018 My furniture was all destroyed and my farming implements were all destroyed or stolen. — John Maccormack, San Antonio Express-News, "Old American colony in Mexico clings to its past," 18 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Notably, mobile voice is regulated as a Title II service, and that isn't preventing carriers from implementing anti-robocall features. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC’s proposed robotext crackdown could block legal messages, critics say," 21 Nov. 2018 The next 13 months will be all about implementing your dreams into your day-to-day life. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "What November's Cancer Horoscope Means for You," 28 Oct. 2018 Dunham stressed that the asteroid-billiards concept needs to be studied in much more detail before it can be fully implemented. — Mike Wall, Space.com, "Asteroid Billiards: This Wild Idea to Protect Earth Just Might Work," 24 Aug. 2018 The Bottom Line Any diet that's as extreme as keto — to the point where it's often implemented under the supervision of an entire medical team — won't translate into everyday life. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "Ketogenic Diets Are B.S. for Weight Loss — Here's Why," 20 July 2018 Then continual rainfall in June kept mosquito control agencies from implementing larva control measures. — Vikki Ortiz, chicagotribune.com, "Chicagoland mosquito fighters struggle to keep up with this summer's surge of blood suckers," 11 July 2018 Engineering solutions around this problem will be key to successfully implementing technology in space—with one possibility being using centrifugal forces from rotation of a spacecraft to separate the gases from the solution. — Charles W. Dunnill, Scientific American, "Method of Making Oxygen from Water in Zero Gravity Raises Hope for Long-Distance Space Travel," 10 July 2018 During his time as associate principal of Kingwood High School, Nasra led the research team that explored the viability and potential benefits of implementing One Lunch. — Melanie Feuk, Houston Chronicle, "Atascocita native returns to Humble ISD as new Kingwood High principal," 2 July 2018 The 29-month delay from 2018 to 2021 represents a $1 billion hit — not including the cost of implementing the board's recommendations. — Marcia Dunn, OrlandoSentinel.com, "More delay, cost for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'implement.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for implement

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin implementum action of filling up, from Latin implēre to fill up, from in- + plēre to fill — more at full

Verb

see implement entry 1

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