operator

[ op-uh-rey-ter ]
/ ˈɒp əˌreɪ tər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR operator ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of operator

1590–1600; < Late Latin, equivalent to operā(rī) to work, effect (see operate) + Latin -tor -tor

OTHER WORDS FROM operator

pre·op·er·a·tor, nounself-op·er·a·tor, noun

Words nearby operator

operationalism, operations research, operations room, operative, operatize, operator, operator gene, operatory, opercle, operculate, operculitis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to operator

driver, engineer, administrator, executive, supervisor, speculator, manager, dealer, agent, broker, operative, director, fraud, scoundrel, hustler, conductor, operant

Example sentences from the Web for operator

British Dictionary definitions for operator

operator
/ (ˈɒpəˌreɪtə) /

noun

a person who operates a machine, instrument, etc, esp, a person who makes connections on a telephone switchboard or at an exchange
a person who owns or operates an industrial or commercial establishment
a speculator, esp one who operates on currency or stock markets
informal a person who manipulates affairs and other people
maths any symbol, term, letter, etc, used to indicate or express a specific operation or process, such as Δ (the differential operator)
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

Medical definitions for operator

operator
[ ŏp′ə-rā′tər ]

n.

An operator gene.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for operator

operator
[ ŏp′ə-rā′tər ]

Mathematics A function, especially one from a set to itself, such as differentiation of a differentiable function or rotation of a vector. In quantum mechanics, measurable quantities of a physical system, such as position and momentum, are related to unique operators applied to the wave equation describing the system.
A logical operator.
Genetics A segment of chromosomal DNA that regulates the activity of the structural genes of an operon by interacting with a specific repressor.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.