operating

American  

[op-uh-rey-ting] / ˈɒp əˌreɪ tɪŋ /

adjective

1. used or engaged in performing operations.

   an operating surgeon.

2. of, for, or pertaining to operations.

   an operating budget.

3. of or relating to the proper operation of a machine, appliance, etc..

   a manual of operating instructions.

4. 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.

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Other Word Forms

• nonoperating adjective
• unoperating adjective

Etymology

Origin of operating

First recorded in 1800–10; operat(e) + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Chinese and Russian military planes last year flew patrols near Alaska for the first time, with Chinese long-range bombers operating from a Russian air base.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Manus acquisition appears to be Meta’s first major purchase of an AI startup operating an frontier AI model.

From The Wall Street Journal

He stopped trying to compete with Microsoft’s Windows operating system and instead offered customers expertise in how to integrate corporate data and networks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Some of the websites that were being born out of the dot-com boom were considered slop, recalls Paul Chan, founder of AI operating system Decidr.

From MarketWatch

Currently, fuel makes up nearly half of a ship’s operating expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• operational
• running
• working