modus operandi
Americannoun
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modi operandi
plural
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a mode of operating or working.
The aim of a scientist is to investigate the modus operandi of the natural world.
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one’s usual way of doing something: MO
A criminal’s modus operandi can give the police a lead.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of modus operandi
First recorded in 1645–55; New Latin: literally “mode of working”
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.
They’re twin portraits of an artist delving into the origin of her modus operandi.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Exiting business while keeping a stake looks like a modus operandi that suits Aegon, he says, referring to the sale of its Dutch operations to ASR Nederland in 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
"It's almost Scooby-Doo-ish following footwear marks around, but the links are there and you can see it, and that modus operandi bringing it all together is what makes it."
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Other digital asset treasury companies that sought to ape Saylor’s modus operandi have suffered a similar fate.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 5, 2026
Reform, not punishment, is her modus operandi, and Celia has succeeded in converting many young delinquents into productive revolutionaries.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
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.
