operations research

noun

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Definition of operations research

: the application of scientific and especially mathematical methods to the study and analysis of problems involving complex systems — called also operational research

Recent Examples of operations research from the Web

Mike is an operations research analyst at U.S. Army Material Systems Analysis Activity.

— marleen van den neste, The Aegis, "Harford Highlighters hoop team heading to Seattle for USA Games," 11 June 2018
There are 209 members of the 2018 graduating class, who earned degrees in engineering, naval architecture, operations research, marine and environmental sciences, management and government.

— Washington Post, "Pence warns Coast Guard graduates of the perils facing US," 23 May 2018
While her father climbed the ranks at Renaissance, Rebekah attended Stanford University from 1994 to1997, studying biology, mathematics and operations research, according to her LinkedIn page.

— kate storey, Town & Country, "How Secretive Manhattan Heiress Rebekah Mercer Became One of the Most Powerful Women in Politics," 17 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'operations research.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.