operating room

American  

noun

1. a specially equipped room, usually in a hospital, where surgical procedures are performed. OR

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Etymology

Origin of operating room

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Ten years ago, I found myself running beside my wife Sharon as she was gurneyed into an operating room in Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

"There's a lot of interesting emotional circuits that are deep in the brain, but until now you couldn't manipulate them outside of the operating room."

From Science Daily • Feb. 4, 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

“It’s going well,” she said solemnly, as if she were a doctor who had emerged from the operating room to deliver an update.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez