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

The F-15 can be flown by a single pilot or with a pilot and a weapons-system operator on board.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

There are usually two people on board a news media helicopter -- the pilot and the reporter-camera operator who frequently reports live from the sky.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

The electricity system operator here says it is delinking the price of electricity from the high wholesale cost of gas, which should prevent a similar outcome.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Management at mall operator Simon Property Group said that jewelry was among the categories it was most excited about.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

For a second, I worry the operator will ask where my parents are, but she doesn’t.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

The inquiry also heard that it was unclear how the increased infrastructure costs, linked to a growth in AI data centres, would be shared between operators and wider consumers as additional costs on their bills.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Both operators have sufficient balance-sheet capacity to absorb potential near-term funding needs for Malaysia’s state-backed 5G infrastructure firm Digital Nasional without materially affecting dividends, she adds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

He said his group is focused on creating "trusted AI systems" that are transparent and allow operators to understand how a particular conclusion has been reached.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

The Justice Department said in July 2025 that it took legal action against the operators of a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment platform.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

In the control room for reactors 1 and 2, even as the room pitched and swayed, the operators moved quickly to monitor an emergency procedure known as a scram.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• agent
• broker
• dealer
• driver
• manager