as in available
capable of or suitable for being used for a particular purpose
the historic wooden ship has been fully restored and is once again an operable seafaring vessel
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Recent Examples of operable
The two-door refrigerator under a burner was not operable.
—
Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Under federal law, a low-speed electric bicycle must have operable pedals, a motor no stronger than 750 watts, and a top speed of 20 mph when powered solely by the motor.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
As part of his state probation, he is also barred from being within 25 feet of any operable aircraft.
—John Capell, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2025
Under local law, even inoperable or replica weapons are considered potentially operable if they can be modified to fire, placing them under the same strict legal framework.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operable
Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Under federal law, a low-speed electric bicycle must have operable pedals, a motor no stronger than 750 watts, and a top speed of 20 mph when powered solely by the motor.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
As part of his state probation, he is also barred from being within 25 feet of any operable aircraft.
—John Capell, ABC News, 17 Nov. 2025
Under local law, even inoperable or replica weapons are considered potentially operable if they can be modified to fire, placing them under the same strict legal framework.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operable
Adjective
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Anthropic has been most focused on applying its technology to cybersecurity and has been one of the only advanced AI models available for use in classified operations.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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The next puzzle will be available at midnight in your time zone.—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Analysts say Kim's vilification of South Korea reflects his view that Seoul, which helped set up his first meetings with Trump, is no longer a useful intermediary with Washington but an obstacle to his effort to establish a more assertive regional footing.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
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Although the underlying mechanisms may differ from tissue to tissue, and from organism to organism, the apparent ubiquity of these processes suggests that fracturing is a useful, if counterintuitive, way to sculpt tissues and their vital features.—
Clare Watson,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Operable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operable. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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