operating 1 of 2

Definition of operatingnext

operating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of operate
1
as in handling
to control the mechanical operation of do not operate heavy machinery, including cars, after taking this medication

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in working
to produce a desired effect the medicine will take an hour or so to operate the first time you use it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of operating
Adjective
Exxon operates some of the wells directly and holds a financial, non-operating interest in the others. Rachel Nostrant, Houston Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2026 Last year, though revenue and operating profit increased, non-operating red ink pushed the company into a full-year loss of NT$766 million, or $25 million. Russell Flannery, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 The adjusted net income decreased by 8% y-o-y to $3.9 billion in the first nine months of 2022 due to higher expenses as a % of revenues and lower non-operating income. Trefis Team, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023 Under Proposition 309, voters casting mail-in ballots could provide a driver's license or non-operating identification license number, the last four digits of a social security number, or a unique identifying number provided by the secretary of state for voter registration purposes. Arlyssa D. Becenti, The Arizona Republic, 27 Oct. 2022 Known for many years for its great and famous passenger trains, the last regularly scheduled FECR passenger train ran on July 31, 1968, due to the work stoppage by the non-operating unions that began on January 22, 1963. Seth H. Bramson, Sun Sentinel, 12 Oct. 2022 On Monday, as Hasbro released its fourth quarter earnings, the toy maker recorded a $41.3 million net non-cash, non-operating charge associated with the company’s investment in the Discovery Family Channel. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2022
Verb
The union is reportedly demanding that Samsung allocate 15% of its operating profit to workers as performance bonuses, scrap caps on bonus payouts, and formalize the bonus structure. Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 13 May 2026 Iran’s Oil Terminals Company said on Sunday inspections had found no evidence of leaks from storage tanks, pipelines, loading facilities or tankers operating near the island. Reuters, NBC news, 13 May 2026 The taxpayer theft was primarily committed by Somali immigrants who were caught operating fake home healthcare agencies, daycares, autism treatment centers, and food pantries that fraudulently billed Minnesota’s public assistance programs for services purportedly performed. Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 13 May 2026 Also in 2025, Arkansas passed a bill that would prevent companies that own PBMs from operating retail pharmacies. Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 May 2026 The group, formed in 1970 to oppose Vatican II modernizations, has quietly become a parallel church operating globally with 733 priests, 264 seminarians and 50 nationalities despite decades of schism. Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 The Mount Sinai organization, which had been operating a small 56-bed hospital on Alton Road, made extensive renovations on the Nautilus property. Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 13 May 2026 Travis Turner of Roseville was bound over on one count of operating while intoxicated, causing death, and one count of possession of a firearm while under the influence. Joseph Buczek, CBS News, 13 May 2026 Federal prosecutors charged 22 people in the scheme that was operating out of the two restaurants owned by the Gerodemos family, Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart. Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operating
Adjective
  • Israel was reportedly the first nation to use the F-35 in actual combat operations, demonstrating the aircraft’s operational readiness and effectiveness in modern warfare environments.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026
  • That would be followed by an orbital free-flyer called Vortex-S, and the Vortex-C operational cargo transport vehicle with a total mass of about 8 to 9 metric tons.
    Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
  • Protagonist Pictures is handling sales.
    Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • If managing cholesterol is a priority, aim to eat one cup of cooked oatmeal per day.
    Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026
  • That’s why the younger version of himself — that kid who arrived in NASCAR two decades ago simply wanting to drive race cars —would never have imagined owning a team or managing a company.
    Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • By late summer, as the government’s funding was set to run out again, Jeffries was working closely with Schumer to make sure that Democrats in the House and the Senate were in alignment.
    Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
  • Across all of them, AI is working where the operating model was ready for it.
    Dennis Woodside, Fortune, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • The rooms Judy likes to give each hotel a personality, but using Poldark as inspiration wouldn’t be nearly quirky enough for the Hutsons.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 May 2026
  • The stores will be roughly 20,000 square feet and exclusively accessible to gig workers using the retailer’s Spark delivery driver app to collect orders and bring them to customers.
    Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 15 May 2026
Adjective
  • Party is unapologetically the operative word for the ACMs, even down to the extent that many of the awards are being announced prior to airtime, to have few speeches on the show when that time could be used for music.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 17 May 2026
  • But the company is also opening a new fulfilment center in Giessen, in western Germany, which should be fully operative by the end of 2027.
    Cathrin Schaer, Footwear News, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • In Nebraska, Dan Osborn, a veteran and a former union leader at a Kellogg’s plant, is running as an independent.
    Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 17 May 2026
  • Jules is the gatekeeper of Briar gossip, running the Fifth Line social media account.
    Jennifer McClellan, USA Today, 17 May 2026
Verb
  • Griswold's office is responsible for supervising Colorado's elections and maintaining the statewide file of voter registrations.
    Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 16 May 2026
  • Leaders increasingly must learn how to orchestrate systems rather than simply manage processes—from supervising individual workflows to coordinating intelligent networks, and from controlling static operations to adapting continuously evolving environments.
    Mira Tzur, Forbes.com, 15 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Operating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operating. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

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