modus operandi

[moh-duhs op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy, moh-doos oh-pe-rahn-dee]

noun

plural

modi operandi 

1. a mode of operating or working.

   The aim of a scientist is to investigate the modus operandi of the natural world.

2. one’s usual way of doing something: MO

   A criminal’s modus operandi can give the police a lead.

modus operandi

/ -ˈrændaɪ, ˈməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː /

noun

1. procedure; method of operating

modus operandi

1. The way someone does something; a characteristic method: “Her modus operandi in buying a new car always included a month of research.” This phrase, often abbreviated “m.o.,” is used by police to describe a criminal's characteristic way of committing a crime. From Latin, meaning “method of operation.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of modus operandi¹

First recorded in 1645–55; New Latin: literally “mode of working”

Word History and Origins

Origin of modus operandi¹

C17: from Latin

Example Sentences

"The full facts remain unclear, but there is a Kremlin modus operandi that seems recognisable here."

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They knew what they wanted, had evidently "cased the joint" in advance, had a brazenly simple but effective modus operandi, and needed no more than seven minutes to take their booty and get away.

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Exploiting the country’s history of racism to maintain power and influence has become liberalism’s modus operandi.

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Aster’s modus operandi, holding strong following his first three features, is to smother the viewer, piling on so many narrative threads that it becomes difficult to claw free for a broader perspective.

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Authorities then discovered that other monks had similarly transferred money to Ms Golf - which police called her "modus operandi".

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Related Words

• rule of thumb