modus operandi
Americannoun
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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
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.
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
“Given the modus operandi of this market is to shoot first and ask questions later, we believe this selloff represents an attractive buying opportunity,” Monness, Crespi, Hardt analyst Brian White wrote on Tuesday.
From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026
Other digital asset treasury companies that sought to ape Saylor’s modus operandi have suffered a similar fate.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026
Three former case managers, who worked as liaisons between clients and attorneys, described the same modus operandi at DTLA: Sign up personal injury clients, then get them to agree to surgeries.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025
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.
