operate

[ op-uh-reyt ]

/ ˈɒp əˌreɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR operate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), op·er·at·ed, op·er·at·ing.

to work, perform, or function, as a machine does: This engine does not operate properly.

to work or use a machine, apparatus, or the like.

to act effectively; produce an effect; exert force or influence (often followed by on or upon): Their propaganda is beginning to operate on the minds of the people.

to perform some process of work or treatment.

Surgery. to perform a surgical procedure.

(of a drug) to produce the effect intended.

Military.

to carry on operations in war.
to give orders and accomplish military acts, as distinguished from doing staff work.

to carry on transactions in securities, or some commodity, especially speculatively or on a large scale.

Informal. to use devious means for one's own gain; insinuate oneself; finagle: a man who knows how to operate with the ladies.

verb (used with object), op·er·at·ed, op·er·at·ing.

to manage or use (a machine, device, etc.): to operate a switchboard.

to put or keep (a factory, industrial system, ranch, etc.) working or in operation: to operate a coal mine.

to bring about, effect, or produce, as by action or the exertion of force or influence.

Nearby words

operagoer, operand, operant, operant conditioning, operant learning, operate, operatic, operating, operating budget, operating income, operating microscope

Origin of operate

1600–10; < Late Latin operātus, past participle of operārī, -āre to work, be efficacious, effect, produce, Latin: to busy oneself, verbal derivative of opera effort, work, akin to opus work; see -ate¹

Related forms

op·er·at·a·ble, adjectivepre·op·er·ate, verb (used without object), pre·op·er·at·ed, pre·op·er·at·ing.re·op·er·ate, verb (used with object), re·op·er·at·ed, re·op·er·at·ing.un·op·er·at·a·ble, adjective

un·op·er·at·ed, adjectivewell-op·er·at·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for operated

AirAsia Indonesia, which operated Flight 8501, is the Indonesian subsidiary of AirAsia, which is based in Malaysia.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501|Clive Irving|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
During two years in Iranian custody, Abdolhamid provided crucial details of how Jundullah operated.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She operated it for 16 years before putting it in the hands of one of her mistresses.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It would inject a threat of accountability into power, and upend the impunity wartime leaders had operated under for years.
The Man Who Invented the Word ‘Genocide’|Nina Strochlic|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It added that it would be “operated exclusively for public and social-welfare purposes.”
Mystery Man Buys Kentucky for the GOP|Center for Public Integrity|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the float is too high on its stem, the gasoline control valve may not be operated until the fuel overflows in its chamber.
The Gasoline Motor|Harold Whiting Slauson
Over one of them the woven product passes as the loom is operated, while the other holds the unwoven warp.
The Library of Work and Play: Home Decoration|Charles Franklin Warner
Washington was on the watch for them, and operated the diving chamber.
Under the Ocean to the South Pole|Roy Rockwood
The system has not operated to take women from their homes, nor has it tended to make them in any way masculine.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV|Various
The slide valve may also be operated by hand before the engine is started, or it may be operated by a steam reversing gear.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose

British Dictionary definitions for operated

operate

/ (ˈɒpəˌreɪt) /

verb

to function or cause to function

(tr) to control the functioning ofoperate a machine

to manage, direct, run, or pursue (a business, system, etc)

(intr) to perform a surgical operation (upon a person or animal)

(intr) to produce a desired or intended effect

(tr usually foll by on) to treat or process in a particular or specific way

(intr) to conduct military or naval operations

(intr) to deal in securities on a stock exchange

Word Origin for operate

C17: from Latin operāri to work

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

operate

verb (used without object), op·er·at·ed, op·er·at·ing.

verb (used with object), op·er·at·ed, op·er·at·ing.

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Origin of operate

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Examples from the Web for operated

British Dictionary definitions for operated

operate

verb

Word Origin for operate

Medicine definitions for operated

operate

v.