operate
Americanverb (used without object)
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operates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
operated,
past participle, past
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operating
present participle
-
to work, perform, or function, as a machine does.
This engine does not operate properly.
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to work or use a machine, apparatus, or the like.
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to act effectively; produce an effect; exert force or influence (often followed by on orupon ).
Their propaganda is beginning to operate on the minds of the people.
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to perform some process of work or treatment.
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Surgery. to perform a surgical procedure.
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(of a drug) to produce the effect intended.
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Military.
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to carry on operations in war.
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to give orders and accomplish military acts, as distinguished from doing staff work.
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to carry on transactions in securities, or some commodity, especially speculatively or on a large scale.
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Informal. to use devious means for one's own gain; insinuate oneself; finagle.
a man who knows how to operate with the ladies.
verb (used with object)
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operates,
present (3rd person singular)
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operated,
past participle, past
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operating
present participle
-
to manage or use (a machine, device, etc.).
Do you know how to operate a forklift?
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to put or keep (a factory, industrial system, ranch, etc.) working or in operation.
to operate a coal mine.
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to bring about, effect, or produce, as by action or the exertion of force or influence.
verb
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to function or cause to function
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(tr) to control the functioning of
operate a machine
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to manage, direct, run, or pursue (a business, system, etc)
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(intr) to perform a surgical operation (upon a person or animal)
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(intr) to produce a desired or intended effect
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to treat or process in a particular or specific way
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(intr) to conduct military or naval operations
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(intr) to deal in securities on a stock exchange
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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reoperateverb (used with object)
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preoperateverb (used without object)
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operatableadjective
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unoperatableadjective
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unoperatedadjective
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well-operatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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operatesimple
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operatessimple
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have operatedperfect
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has operatedperfect
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am operatingprogressive
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are operatingprogressive
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is operatingprogressive
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have been operatingperfect progressive
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has been operatingperfect progressive
Past
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operatedsimple
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had operatedperfect
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was operatingprogressive
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were operatingprogressive
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had been operatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of operate
First recorded in 1600–10; from Late Latin operātus, past participle of operārī, -āre “to work, be efficacious, effect, produce,” Latin: “to busy oneself,” verbal derivative of opera effort, work, akin to opus “work”; see -ate 1
Explanation
You'll want to find a skilled surgeon to operate on your hand. Once your hand is working again, you'll be able to operate your buzz saw with ease. Operate comes from a Latin root related to opus, "work," and it's a verb that can be used for all kinds of work. Your computer can operate smoothly, the lottery can operate successfully, your school can operate a day care center in some vacant classrooms, and you can operate your vehicle in a safe manner. If you're an unshakable optimist, your friends may say you "operate in a dream world."
Vocabulary lists containing operate
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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.
See Examples For:
As the bestseller “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies” pointed out last year, the companies creating these digital Frankenstein monsters don’t even know how they operate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Two of Ballmer’s top executives were also sanctioned, altering the way the team will have to operate moving forward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
In July, 1,200 OpenAI agents, which were meant to operate in isolation, found a shared file system and turned it into a message board.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Because the protection comes from a continuous mechanical field that is compatible with phononic cavities, the technique could operate inside the same structures that may eventually connect stationary nodes in quantum networks.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
Dr. Atkinson told Mom and Dad he needed to operate to see what was going on.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
In mid-July, the company — which also operates as Taylor Fresh Foods — removed the outsourced lettuce from the U.S. market and issued a voluntary recall of potentially contaminated products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Rival Anthropic, which operates the Claude model, has already filed confidential IPO paperwork but has yet to put out a public filing.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026
The Smithsonian operates independently of the executive branch and is overseen by a Board of Regents.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
Silicon is a highly effective and cheap material to use in anodes, but pure silicon expands and contracts as the battery operates and is recharged, which causes it to crack.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Some aspects of Islamic law are observed in Iran's legal system, but today the country mostly operates under civil law, ratified by the parliament.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
E-commerce giant Amazon says it is suspending work with the firm that operated a cargo plane that was involved in a fatal crash in Miami this month.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
After his indictment, Roberts closed his art gallery and briefly operated an outlet down the street selling Labubus, the viral monster toys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
No lander has ever operated there, so researchers must rely on remote sensing observations from telescopes and spacecraft.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
The newsroom’s previous home base is a historic 1935 Art Deco landmark located in downtown Los Angeles, the neighborhood where The Times operated for 137 years since its founding in 1881.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The tavern operated as a typical nineteenth-century roadside establishment.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
Amazon.com is pausing its operations with 21 Air, the cargo carrier that was operating the Amazon-branded plane that crashed in Miami, killing five people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
According to the report, adjusted operating income excludes stock-based compensation, which is not unusual for technology companies.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
"The Earth wasn't operating exactly as it does now, but it appears some of the key processes were already in place," Dr. Vandenburg said.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
The new Costco also has a 32-pump gas station, which began operating in May.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
All day long I think about Erin and how strangers are operating on her leg, cutting it open, inserting pins or whatever to mend the bones.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
