implement 1 of 2

implement

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word implement different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of implement are appliance, instrument, tool, and utensil. While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements
farm implements

When can appliance be used instead of implement?

The meanings of appliance and implement largely overlap; however, appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

When is it sensible to use instrument instead of implement?

The words instrument and implement can be used in similar contexts, but instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

How are the words tool and implement related?

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

When could utensil be used to replace implement?

Although the words utensil and implement have much in common, utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of implement
Verb
Several sports associations – the NFL, NBA, WNBA and NWSL – have implemented social justice initiatives and councils that strive to mobilize voters and educate the electorate on political issues. Betina Cutaia Wilkinson, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025 Since then, officials from across the government, including the Departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security, have scrambled to implement the president's directive. Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2025
Noun
Goggles and a leather pad for one's lap are among the crucial safety implements when flint-knapping. Ars Technica, 2 Jan. 2025 Most of the finds are in surprisingly good condition—a few have even been accompanied by paddles or tools, like net sinkers and an adz, a wood-cutting implement similar to an ax. Jacqueline Kehoe, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for implement 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for implement
Verb
  • Sacramento is not yet enforcing a new state law that disallows a lot of parking within 20 feet of intersections, known as daylighting, to help protect pedestrians from death and serious injury.
    Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2025
  • It’s rarely been enforced, and its definitional boundaries have long been debated among legal experts.
    Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 30 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Access to even basic diagnostic tools could avoid over a million deaths annually.
    William Mullane, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
  • Eschewing rulers and other traditional drafting tools, Fassler sketches freehand and makes floor plans subjectively scaled to the size and shape of her own body.
    Mara Hoberman, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • However, this narrative framing device — which often loops back on itself, as a dreamlike film within the film — is merely an anchor for a more elliptical, esoteric narrative about personal and political history.
    Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025
  • South Korean officials had sent the devices to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board for closer examination after discovering that some of the data was missing.
    Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 27 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near implement

Cite this Entry

“Implement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/implement. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on implement

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