operational
Americanadjective
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able to function or be used; functional.
How soon will the new factory be operational?
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Military.
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of, relating to, or involved in military operations.
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on active service or combat duty.
All units of the command are operational.
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of or relating to operations or an operation.
adjective
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of or relating to an operation or operations
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in working order and ready for use
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military capable of, needed in, or actually involved in operations
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of operational
Explanation
If something is operational, it’s up and running and ready to go. If you’ve been waiting for a new skating rink to open, you’ll jump for joy when it’s finally operational. When something is operational, it's ready to use or is already in use. Don’t get on an elevator that’s not fully operational unless you like getting stuck. Any gadget being used is operational. If someone calls you and you pick up and talk, then both phones are operational. If the compost bin you’ve been working on is operational, go ahead and throw in the banana peels. Operational things are functional. If your skates are operational, lace up and go!
Vocabulary lists containing operational
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 13
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"CLEP Financial Accounting," Vocabulary from Chapter 14
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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.
Rigid operational dictates cause infrastructure investment to plummet, ultimately degrading track quality and severely hurting long-term economic productivity.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
Police bosses admitted not arresting Calocane had been a "serious and systemic and operational failure".
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s New York field office, said his agency would deploy drones, specialized tactical teams and operational resources to identify potential threats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
Legitimate bear arguments start by pointing out that all of those are long-term projections and that Starship isn’t operational yet.
From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026
With the bikes now fully operational, we wheel them outside, manually pull down the garage door, and take to the streets.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
