adjective
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capable of being treated by a surgical operation
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capable of being operated
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capable of being put into practice
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of operable
1640–50; < Late Latin operābilis, equivalent to operā ( rī ) to work + -bilis -ble
Explanation
Anything operable can be used, or it can be operated on. Now that you've replaced the flat tire on your bike, it's operable. And that boil on the tip of your nose? That's also operable (Whew!). Things that work or are ready to be of service are operable, like the vacuum cleaner that's been tuned up and has a brand new bag in it, your new waffle iron that you've seasoned and plugged in, or the mayor's extensive plan for reducing homelessness. Another, much more medical way to use this adjective is to mean "able to be treated with an operation," like an operable knee problem or operable skin cancer.
Vocabulary lists containing operable
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.
Since 2015, Japan has restarted 15 out of its 33 operable reactors.
From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026
By contrast, the Packbot, a remotely operable military robot that is also an iRobot product, runs on treaded wheels, which signals to users that it can go over rough terrain or obstructions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2025
"These findings add to evidence that the perioperative immunotherapy path gives patients with operable lung cancer an opportunity to live longer without their cancer returning."
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
Editorials and articles have sparked a Washington State Ferries food fight over our lack of operable boats and strategies to solve that.
From Seattle Times ● May 3, 2024
Marley had written that line a year before his death, while an operable melanoma was, at that moment, metastasizing to his lungs, liver, stomach and brain.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
