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.
It also abandoned its typical modus operandi by bringing in former Apple designer Jony Ive and his team, instead of relying solely on Ferrari’s in-house crew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
They’re twin portraits of an artist delving into the origin of her modus operandi.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 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
“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
It’s been her modus operandi since I met her, and old habits die hard.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
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.
