operational
adjective
op·er·a·tion·al
ˌä-pə-ˈrā-sh(ə-)nəl 
1
: of or relating to operation or to an operation
the operational gap between planning and production
2
: of, relating to, or based on operations
3
a
: of, engaged in, or connected with execution of military or naval operations in campaign or battle
b
: ready for or in condition to undertake a destined function
operationally
adverb
Examples of operational in a Sentence
The new airport should be fully operational by next year.
The computer network is now operational.
Recent Examples on the Web
Reports suggest the system could help with tasks such as strategic planning, internal communication, document analysis, and operational insights.
—
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of people swarmed Surprise's City Council meetings demanding that the city pass a resolution to make DHS and ICE publicly disclose operational plans.
—Eric Westervelt, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
Raise massive capital, hire hundreds of people, build a sprawling department for every operational headache — from VAT compliance in Marseille to sourcing logistics in Shenzhen.
—Kuo Zhang, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
Key leadership, including Colligan and other senior staff, have reportedly retained legal counsel amid mounting financial and operational concerns.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for operational
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Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Mar. 2026
Hundreds of people swarmed Surprise's City Council meetings demanding that the city pass a resolution to make DHS and ICE publicly disclose operational plans.
—Eric Westervelt, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
Raise massive capital, hire hundreds of people, build a sprawling department for every operational headache — from VAT compliance in Marseille to sourcing logistics in Shenzhen.
—Kuo Zhang, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2026
Key leadership, including Colligan and other senior staff, have reportedly retained legal counsel amid mounting financial and operational concerns.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for operational
Cite this Entry
“Operational.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/operational. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
operational
adjective
op·er·a·tion·al
ˌäp-ə-ˈrā-shnəl
-shən-ᵊl
1
: of or relating to operation or an operation
2
: ready for operation
Legal Definition
operational
adjective
op·er·a·tion·al
ˌä-pə-ˈrā-shə-nəl
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