operating room
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of operating room
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
The most powerful treatment is not found in a prescription bottle or an operating room.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
“We had a colloquial term in the operating room: December Deductible Derby,” said Dr. Parcells, noting that patients seeking insurance-covered surgeries like breast augmentations have deductibles in mind.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
While a torn ACL typically sends athletes straight to the operating room, Vonn said surgery was not a discussion.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026
"My love has just gone to the operating room," Bolsonaro's wife Michelle said in an Instagram post.
From Barron's • Dec. 25, 2025
At ten o’clock in the morning, I was taken to the operating room.
From "Night" by Elie Wiesel
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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.