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
- nonoperable adjective
- operability noun
- operably adverb
Etymology
Origin of operable
1640–50; < Late Latin operābilis, equivalent to operā ( rī ) to work + -bilis -ble
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, it has restarted 15 out of its 33 operable reactors.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
When asked about the more robust preparations in 2011, he said the department’s fleet of operable engines was larger back then.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 18, 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
The LA County Sheriff’s Department currently has only 23 operable buses out of a total of 82, and there have been days when as few as six were running, supervisors said.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2024
Minutes into this process, I found that of seven shower cells, only two were operable.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
