operation

[op-uh-rey-shuh n]

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.

Origin of operation

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

Related formsmis·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

Related Words for operation

affair, use, transaction, force, deal, service, process, work, enterprise, agency, application, procedure, activity, action, effort, trip, exercise, movement, surgery, manipulation

Examples from the Web for operation

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
If the operation caused no physical damage, it would be in bounds.
Cyberwar on North Korea Could Be Illegal
Shane Harris
December 23, 2014
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

Historical Examples of operation

This operation is performed by a female, with the aid of a stamp.
The Story of the Invention of Steel Pens
Henry Bore
This operation is performed by the aid of a punch and die fitted into a screw-press.
The Story of the Invention of Steel Pens
Henry Bore
The physician replied that it was not far enough advanced for an operation.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
He remembered the day Max had done the Edwardes operation, and how proud he had been of him.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
This operation takes about twenty minutes, and at one operation about 1½ cwt.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884
Various

British Dictionary definitions for operation

operation

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

Word Origin and History for operation

late 14c., "action, performance, work," also "the performance of some science or art," from Old French operacion "operation, working, proceedings," from Latin operationem (nominative operatio) "a working, operation," from past participle stem of operari "to work, labor" (in Late Latin "to have effect, be active, cause"), from opera "work, effort," related to opus (genitive operis) "a work" (see opus). The surgical sense is first attested 1590s. Military sense of "series of movements and acts" is from 1749.

operation in Medicine

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.

operation in Science

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.