operator

[op-uh-rey-ter]

noun

1. a person who operates a machine, apparatus, or the like.

   a telegraph operator.

2. a person who operates a telephone switchboard, especially for a telephone company.

3. a person who manages a working or industrial establishment, enterprise, or system.

   the operators of a mine.

4. a person who trades in securities, especially speculatively or on a large scale.

5. a person who performs a surgical operation; a surgeon.

6. Mathematics.

   1. a symbol for expressing a mathematical operation.

   2. a function, especially one transforming a function, set, etc., into another.

      a differential operator.

7. Informal.

   1. a person who accomplishes goals or purposes by devious means; faker; fraud.

   2. a person who is adroit at overcoming, avoiding, or evading difficulties, regulations, or restrictions.

   3. a person who is extremely successful with or smoothly persuasive to potential sexual or romantic partners.

8. Genetics.,  a segment of DNA that interacts with a regulatory molecule, preventing transcription of the adjacent region.

operator

/ ˈɒpəˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who operates a machine, instrument, etc, esp, a person who makes connections on a telephone switchboard or at an exchange

2. a person who owns or operates an industrial or commercial establishment

3. a speculator, esp one who operates on currency or stock markets

4. informal,  a person who manipulates affairs and other people

5. maths any symbol, term, letter, etc, used to indicate or express a specific operation or process, such as Δ (the differential operator)

operator

1. Mathematics,  A function, especially one from a set to itself, such as differentiation of a differentiable function or rotation of a vector. In quantum mechanics, measurable quantities of a physical system, such as position and momentum, are related to unique operators applied to the wave equation describing the system.

2. A logical operator.

3. Genetics,  A segment of chromosomal DNA that regulates the activity of the structural genes of an operon by interacting with a specific repressor.

Other Word Forms

• preoperator noun
• self-operator noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of operator¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin, equivalent to operā(rī) “to work, effect” ( operate ) + Latin -tor noun suffix ( -tor )

Example Sentences

According to its website, Core Scientific is one of the largest owners and operators of high-powered digital infrastructure for bitcoin mining and hosting services in North America.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

At times the president and some of his advisers have referred to the operators and occupants of the boats as “narco-terrorists.”

Read more on Salon

Unlike cable and satellite operators such as Comcast, Charter and DirecTV, which have lost millions of subscribers over the past several years, YouTube TV is growing at a fast clip.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Virgin Media O2 is set to become the first mobile network operator to offer UK customers automatic connectivity via satellite in places without phone signal.

Read more on BBC

Access to the depot is a critical requirement for an operator to launch services.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• agent 
• broker 
• dealer 
• driver 
• manager