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

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

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4
as in to utilize
to put into action or service wouldn't dream of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol

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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 operate The Dolphins regularly utilized a six offensive lineman package, putting offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill into the game as a tight end, and Tagovailoa has time to operate. Miami Herald, 9 Nov. 2025 This suggests a Canaanite folk cult operated outside the city, possibly indicating that special accommodations were made for local farmers who might not have entered the city. Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025 Though often mistaken as one organization, the two operate independently. J.m. Banks november 8, Kansas City Star, 8 Nov. 2025 Muscari is a Lubbock resident who owns and operates to two restaurants in Lubbock, The Reserve Culinary Tavern and Gator’s Bayou. Mac Engel november 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for operate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operate
Verb
  • Guests can order the complimentary coffee in-bakery, through the mobile app, or online using code FREECOFFEE.
    Cheryl V. Jackson, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Israel currently allows the death penalty only in exceptional cases, including for crimes such as treason and war crimes committed under the Nazi regime, but it has not been used for decades.
    Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • In part, the McKinley administration standardized various press protocols and routines involved in managing the press corps—holding somewhat regular briefings, for example, and carefully timing White House announcements.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Because of delays, Peter, having committed to spending a year in Israel, turned to me to manage all aspects of this sprawling project.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Hours after Dundee’s Professor Iris Grunwald performed the world’s first remote thrombectomy on a human cadaver, another milestone followed.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Game and network services have performed well in recent quarters thanks to a shift to digital game purchases and the PlayStation Plus subscription service.
    Dylan Butts, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Skaggs’ attorneys utilized last week’s testimony to establish how a team doctor’s opiate prescriptions exacerbated Eric Kay’s addiction, and how, according to multiple former employees, that addiction became evident throughout the organization.
    Sam Blum, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
  • The agent utilizes natural language interactions across TIME's entire digital content corpus to drive reader engagement.
    TIME Staff, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Equipped to handle every kind of wintry mix the forecast may bring, this is a durable option that will remain intact all season long.
    Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In an April 2, 2021, amicus brief, Raffensperger, represented by the state attorney general, argued ballots must remain sealed under Georgia’s Elections Code and warned that allowing the public to handle physical ballots could constitute a felony under state law.
    Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The boards for the district develop and approve policies for the schools; hire, supervise and evaluate the superintendent; and approve budgets set by the superintendent.
    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Laurie Orlando, who has supervised talent recruitment and strategy at CBS News for nearly a decade, is leaving the Paramount Skydance operation — the latest of the news division’s senior executives to exit as the parent company overhauls its operations under an iconoclastic new editor in chief.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The company was also working with Transport for London on a double-decker electric bus, but the agency has yet to place an order.
    Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2025
  • On Friday night the Supreme Court granted the request to block full SNAP payments as the case works its way through the courts.
    Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Regional restrictions may apply.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Future research could explore whether similar biases apply to other visible traits, such as race or disability.
    Abby Frank, The Conversation, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Operate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operate. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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