operator

noun op·er·a·tor \ ˈä-pə-ˌrā-tər , ˈä-ˌprā- \

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

Examples: operator in a Sentence

Definition of operator

1 : one that operates: such as

a : one that operates a machine or device

b : one that operates a business

c : one that performs surgical operations

d : one that deals in stocks or commodities

2 a : mountebank, fraud

b : a shrewd and skillful person who knows how to circumvent restrictions or difficulties

3 a : something and especially a symbol that denotes or performs a mathematical or logical operation

b : a mathematical function

4 : a binding site in a DNA chain at which a genetic repressor binds to inhibit the initiation of transcription of messenger RNA by one or more nearby structural genes — called also operator gene; compare operon

—

operatorless

adjective

See operator defined for English-language learners

See operator defined for kids

Examples of operator in a Sentence

the operator of an automobile
the operator of a nuclear power plant
Call the operator for the phone number.
Operator, please connect me with extension 123.
She's quite an operator—no one else could have gotten them all to agree to the project.

Recent Examples of operator from the Web

Kraus is a metro Detroit native and a veteran restaurant operator who made a name for himself in Chicago and Los Angeles before returning home last year to revive what was then a struggling venture.

— mark kurlyandchik, Detroit Free Press, "Maccabees Traders quietly closes its doors in Detroit," 15 June 2018
These are trips that are canceled, usually because a bus operator has failed to show up for work.

— colin campbell, baltimoresun.com, "After one year of BaltimoreLink, ridership has bounced back, but reliability remains below goals," 15 June 2018
The college is managed by Academica, a large for-profit charter school operator.

— david smiley, miamiherald, "Penelas protege to carry Democrat hopes for northwest Dade Florida Senate seat," 13 June 2018
Image In the intervening years, God’s Blessing has become a tour operator.

— alexis soloski, New York Times, "Review: In ‘Red Hills,’ a Guided Tour of Atrocities," 13 June 2018
Tim, the captain and a great friend of ours, was a charter boat operator who had plied his trade on the waters of Lower Cook Inlet for 30 years.

— steve meyer, Anchorage Daily News, "Even with one bad eye, Alaska’s Barren Islands are a sight to behold," 13 June 2018
In 2014, Bailey received a letter of reprimand for using force against a female inmate at the Bexar County Jail and instructing a camera operator not to document it.

— brian chasnoff, San Antonio Express-News, "‘Pattern of behavior’ cited in arrested deputy," 6 June 2018
Watkins briefly worked for the city of Gary before taking a job as a heavy equipment operator at U.S. Steel.

— meredith colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "After 79 years, Wirt alumni say school's legacy will be sense of community," 6 June 2018
The allegations, if true, suggest a startling naïveté for a longtime political operator like Manafort.

— abigail tracy, The Hive, "The Odds That Robert Mueller Breaks Paul Manafort Just Went Up," 5 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of operator

borrowed from Late Latin operātor "worker, producer," from operārī "to work, be efficacious" + Latin -tor, agent suffix — more at operate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1598

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

OPERATOR Defined for English Language Learners

operator

noun

Definition of operator for English Language Learners

: a person who uses and controls something (such as a machine, device, or business) : someone who operates something
: a person whose job is to help to connect telephone calls : a person who is in charge of a telephone switchboard
: a person who is able to easily achieve things especially by persuading people or by being dishonest

OPERATOR Defined for Kids

operator

noun op·er·a·tor \ ˈä-pə-ˌrā-tər \

Definition of operator for Students

1 : a person who manages or controls something

a plow operator

2 : a person in charge of a telephone switchboard

3 : a person who is skillful at achieving things by persuasion or deception

Medical Dictionary

operator

noun op·er·a·tor \ ˈäp-(ə-)ˌrāt-ər \

medical Definition of operator

1 : one (as a dentist or surgeon) who performs surgical operations

2 : a binding site in a DNA chain at which a genetic repressor binds to inhibit the initiation of transcription of messenger RNA by one or more nearby structural genes — called also operator gene; compare operon