operator

American  

[op-uh-rey-ter] / ˈɒp əˌreɪ tər /

noun

operators plural

1. a person who operates a machine, apparatus, or the like.

   a telegraph operator.

2. a person who operates a telephone switchboard, especially for a telephone company.

3. a person who manages a working or industrial establishment, enterprise, or system.

   the operators of a mine.

4. a person who trades in securities, especially speculatively or on a large scale.

5. a person who performs a surgical operation; a surgeon.

6. Mathematics.

   1. a symbol for expressing a mathematical operation.

   2. a function, especially one transforming a function, set, etc., into another.

      a differential operator.

7. Informal.

   1. a person who accomplishes goals or purposes by devious means; faker; fraud.

   2. a person who is adroit at overcoming, avoiding, or evading difficulties, regulations, or restrictions.

   3. a person who is extremely successful with or smoothly persuasive to potential sexual or romantic partners.

8. Genetics. a segment of DNA that interacts with a regulatory molecule, preventing transcription of the adjacent region.

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operator British  

/ ˈɒpəˌreɪtə /

noun

1. a person who operates a machine, instrument, etc, esp, a person who makes connections on a telephone switchboard or at an exchange

2. a person who owns or operates an industrial or commercial establishment

3. a speculator, esp one who operates on currency or stock markets

4. informal a person who manipulates affairs and other people

5. maths any symbol, term, letter, etc, used to indicate or express a specific operation or process, such as Δ (the differential operator)

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operator Scientific  

/ ŏp′ə-rā′tər /

1. 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.

2. A logical operator.

3. Genetics A segment of chromosomal DNA that regulates the activity of the structural genes of an operon by interacting with a specific repressor.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preoperator
  noun
• self-operator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• operators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of operator

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin, equivalent to operā(rī) “to work, effect” ( see operate) + Latin -tor noun suffix ( see -tor)

Explanation

An operator is a person who runs a machine, equipment, or a vehicle. If you want to be a jackhammer operator some day, you might hope to work on a road crew of for a construction company. An operator operates, or controls, something. You could be a radio operator, a heavy machinery operator, or even a telephone operator — or you can be the operator, or manager, of a business. If you start your own dog walking company, you can call yourself an "owner-operator." The Latin root of both operator and operate is operari, "to work," and "to cause."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

operator operators

Jason Turner is a heavy-equipment operator and logger, and his family is unsure if he’ll be able to go back to work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Convenience store operator 7-Eleven on Thursday disclosed a $349 million profit from the surge in gasoline prices during the last quarter, even as fewer Americans filled their tanks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Separately, the UK's electricity grid operator Neso has issued a request for more power to be made available during the ongoing heatwave.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

E-scooters are allowed in towns and cities where official trials are taking place, but only the vehicles which are part of the operator schemes can be ridden.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

Eddie lives in a trailer park with his mother, Rebecca Ball, an unemployed machine operator.

From "The Million Dollar Shot" by Dan Gutman

Oshea Orchid, a local lawyer, filed the first class-action lawsuit in 2023 against the operators of the county’s second-largest landfill, alleging the fumes were sickening her neighbors, causing headaches and heart palpitations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

The AI industry has touted the potential of the technology to replace actors, writers and camera operators -- claims that have spread panic in movie-making circles, though also plenty of scepticism.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

Pig producers under the same ownership as the operators of the abattoir will not qualify for funding.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Tour operators, cruise lines and airlines also sell travel insurance, and credit cards sometimes include it for customers.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026

Between that and the usual cillies, we’ve got two big clues about how German operators have their Enigmas set up today.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• agent
• broker
• dealer
• driver
• manager