- present participle of operate.
operating
Americanadjective
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used or engaged in performing operations.
an operating surgeon.
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of, for, or pertaining to operations.
an operating budget.
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of or relating to the proper operation of a machine, appliance, etc..
a manual of operating instructions.
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Railroads. of, pertaining, or belonging to railroad workers, as engineers or firemen, who are directly engaged in the mechanical operation of trains.
an operating union.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of operating
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.
Willie Hamilton, Lothian Buses chief operating officer, said the current closures posed a "significant challenge" to operators and commuters.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Steve Jobs declared “thermonuclear war” on Google’s Android operating system in 2010, calling it a “stolen product.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The exchange is operating from temporary offices in Dallas’s Uptown neighborhood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
It presented itself as a body created to attract foreign investment into Africa's most populous country, operating from an office inside the Federal Secretariat in Abuja - the huge complex that houses Nigeria's government ministries.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
They were selected by an uncommon character, with an uncommon view of the financial markets, operating alone and apart.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
