standard operating procedure
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of standard operating procedure
First recorded in 1950–55
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While ministers may quibble with a lack of communication, no issue is taken with the use of Scottish airbases or airports - that, I'm told, is standard operating procedure.
From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026
But in Louisiana, it’s been standard operating procedure for more than a century.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025
Though Bass omitted the bit about six months being standard operating procedure, which would have at least offered some context.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 10, 2025
An execution is botched if it does not follow standard operating procedure or departs from the requirements of the legal protocol that governs the conduct of executions.
From Slate • May 12, 2025
Therefore he was not technically a Hunt prisoner, and so was not bound by the institution’s standard operating procedure.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
