operate
Americanverb (used without object)
-
operates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
operated,
past participle, past
-
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.
-
-
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)
-
operates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
operated,
past participle, past
-
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
-
have been operatingperfect progressive
-
has been operatingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
Until the deal closes, the two companies will continue to operate independently.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
It’s not that Schoenbrun is bad at making movies, but their mind seems to operate like a story map, with hundreds of red strings pinned between plot points.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
This would place responsibility with Apple and Google, who between them operate most of the world's smartphones.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Most of the unionized dockworkers at the ports operate under a labor deal reached in 2023 that expires in 2028.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
“We’ve had to operate in such secrecy—it hasn’t been safe for anyone to know more than one or two contacts.”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The chef at Wales' only two-Michelin-star restaurant has defended the way he operates his kitchen after the venue came under scrutiny over food hygiene standards.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
For many aspiring pros, a running store operates as an ecosystem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Wizards and Capital One Arena, did not immediately respond to questions from The Times about the incident.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
In September, a US judge declined to order Google to sell off parts of its advertising technology business, imposing restrictions on how it operates instead.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
“No, he operates out of South Kensington. Want me to call him?”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
The update approved Thursday sets rules for the Sacramento River and the rest of the Delta, where pumps operated by state and federal agencies send water flowing in aqueducts to farms and cities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Carriers involved in the conflict have operated around the clock for months at a time with little rest, setting modern-day records for their length of deployment and consecutive days at sea without a port call.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters boarded "a private flight operated by the company Baires Fly S.A. bound for the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador," the government agency said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Capra achieved many of his greatest successes in the employ of Columbia Pictures studio head Harry Cohn, a profane, hard-boiled character who operated by instinct and ruled by fear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
From across the street, he watched the cars drive by the manned security gate—a simple red-and-white metal arm, operated by one guard in a wooden kiosk.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
The funders withdraw money directly from company bank accounts, daily or weekly, even if that leaves firms short of funds for payroll, inventory or other operating expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Ultimately, he believes the new administration will have to "build bridges to the segments that have been operating well in the past".
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Analysts had expected operating pretax profit of 2.20 billion pounds, according to a company-compiled consensus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Chief executive Tarek Mansour and chief operating officer Luana Lopes Lara are listed as co-defendants.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
“Ten,” I say, looking past the anesthesiologist to the operating room wall, my eyes landing on a shape that’s oddly familiar.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
