operation

[ op-uh-rey-shuh n ]

/ ˌɒp əˈreɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR operation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an act or instance, process, or manner of functioning or operating.

the state of being operative (usually preceded by in or into): a rule no longer in operation.

the power to act; efficacy, influence, or force.

the exertion of force, power, or influence; agency: the operation of alcohol on the mind.

a process of a practical or mechanical nature in some form of work or production: a delicate operation in watchmaking.

a course or procedure of productive or industrial activity: building operations.

a particular process or course: mental operations.

a business transaction, especially one of a speculative nature; deal: a shady operation.

a business, especially one run on a large scale: a multinational operation.

Surgery. a procedure aimed at restoring or improving the health of a patient, as by correcting a malformation, removing diseased parts, implanting new parts, etc.

Mathematics.

a mathematical process, as addition, multiplication, or differentiation.
the action of applying a mathematical process to a quantity or quantities.

Military.

a campaign, mission, maneuver, or action.
Usually operations. the conduct of a campaign, mission, etc.
operations, a headquarters, office, or place from which a military campaign, air traffic to and from an airfield, or any of various other activities, is planned, conducted, and controlled.
operations, the people who work at such a headquarters.

Nearby words

operating microscope, operating room, operating system, operating table, operating theatre, operation, operation barbarossa, operation desert storm, operation overlord, operation sealion, operational

Origin of operation

1350–1400; Middle English operacioun < Latin operātiōn- (stem of operātiō), equivalent to operāt(us) (see operate) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

mis·op·er·a·tion, nounpre·op·er·a·tion, nounre·op·er·a·tion, nounsub·op·er·a·tion, noun

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

Examples from the Web for operation

But they say its effect on the regular daily operation of organized crime has been negligible.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Their leader, Njie, still going by “Dave” during the operation, would stay a safe distance away until the State House was secure.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The campaign was known to palace insiders as “Operation Mrs. PB.”
Pulled Documentary Says William Felt ‘Used’ by Charles’ Push for Camilla|Tom Sykes|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If the operation caused no physical damage, it would be in bounds.
Cyberwar on North Korea Could Be Illegal|Shane Harris|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

If it was the United States, the operation will test the bounds of international law.
Cyberwar on North Korea Could Be Illegal|Shane Harris|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The operation is carried out on the same lines as for recent fracture, the ends of the bones being rawed and adhesions divided.
Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities--Head--Neck. Sixth Edition.|Alexander Miles
This process would be so arbitrary and inequitable in its operation as to be intolerable.
Proportional Representation Applied To Party Government|T. R. Ashworth and H. P. C. Ashworth
Commerce, however, fixed Kinshassa as its base of operation, and its expansion has been astonishing for that part of the world.
An African Adventure|Isaac F. Marcosson
The blast furnaces were not hurt at all, and will be in operation as soon as a supply of coke can be obtained.
The Johnstown Flood|Richard K. Fox
The operation was also performed with a sharpened Ethiopian stone, called tabona.
Curiosities of Medical Experience|J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen

British Dictionary definitions for operation

operation

/ (ˌɒpəˈreɪʃən) /

noun

the act, process, or manner of operating

the state of being in effect, in action, or operative (esp in the phrases in or into operation)

a process, method, or series of acts, esp of a practical or mechanical nature

surgery any manipulation of the body or one of its organs or parts to repair damage, arrest the progress of a disease, remove foreign matter, etc

a military or naval action, such as a campaign, manoeuvre, etc
(capital and prenominal when part of a name)Operation Crossbow

maths

any procedure, such as addition, multiplication, involution, or differentiation, in which one or more numbers or quantities are operated upon according to specific rules
a function from a set onto itself

a commercial or financial transaction

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

Medicine definitions for operation

operation

[ ŏp′ə-rā′shən ]

n.

A surgical procedure, usually using instruments, for remedying an injury, ailment, defect, or dysfunction.

The act, manner, or process of functioning.

Science definitions for operation

operation

[ ŏp′ə-rā′shən ]

Medicine A surgical procedure for remedying an injury, ailment, defect, or dysfunction.

Mathematics A process or action, such as addition, substitution, transposition, or differentiation, performed in a specified sequence and in accordance with specific rules.

A logical operation.

Computer Science An action resulting from a single instruction.