operated

verb

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

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2
as in managed
to look after and make decisions about it takes years to learn how to operate that kind of business so that it makes money

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3
as in worked
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in utilized
to put into action or service wouldn't dream of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 operated Luis Mauricio Flores Ordonez, 33, was charged with owning an unregistered aircraft that was operated by another person. — Kelly O'Donnell, NBC news, 5 July 2026 For days, the US and its fans had operated under the assumption that there was no mechanism for the striker to have his suspension erased. — Wayne Sterling, CNN Money, 5 July 2026 That leadership cannot be achieved through government alone as approximately 85% of America's critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector. — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Contributions from the Ford Foundation to his newsroom allowed Terry to spend three months in the United States to see how American newspapers operated and hopefully bring some of the knowledge back to the United Kingdom. — Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026 The Chihuahua was behind the wheel of a tiny car while Huckabay’s wife operated the remote control. — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 4 July 2026 The new center will be the first of its kind, completely operated by Cherokee Nation, and comes at no cost for tribal citizens. — Sarah Liese, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2026 During its service, the submarine operated in the Mediterranean Sea, the Arctic Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and the Indo-Pacific. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 3 July 2026 Onboard spas are also commonly operated by third-party providers. — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 28 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operated
  1. used
  2. managed
  3. worked
  4. utilized
  5. handled
  6. controlled
  7. performed
  8. applied
Verb
  • The Hyundai Motor Company used one of the world’s largest sporting stages to showcase its robotics ambitions.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • For instance, in Berkeley, neighbors used CEQA — citing potential noise impact from partying students — to delay, for years, UC Berkeley’s construction of student dorms on People’s Park.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of used
Verb
  • The German predator network managed to thrive despite clear violations of Telegram’s terms of service, again raising questions about how the platform has been used for criminal activity.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
  • Tracy Edwards managed to escape and flag down Rauth and Mueller, taking the officers to Dahmer’s apartment.
    — USA Today, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of managed
Verb
  • When the Wright brothers first flew, the doubt was never about whether the machine worked, but whether flight would ever be something ordinary people used without a second thought.
    — Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • The next inning, Campusano worked a two-out walk and scored from first when Andujar roped a single into the left-field corner.
    — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of worked
Verb
  • For the fourth year, MLB utilized a draft lottery to determine the order of the first six picks.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
  • Since his injury, the Royals have utilized Jac Caglianone at first base and given more playing time to Tyler Tolbert, Starling Marte and Lane Thomas, among others.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
Definition of utilized
Verb
  • The tension between the various competing interests is handled with nuance and without taking sides, all while showing both the pitfalls and the wondrous potential of this annual spectacle.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Pelosi did not have alcohol in his system and he was not arrested at the scene, the sheriff's office added, noting that such cases are commonly handled as misdemeanors.
    — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Definition of handled
Verb
  • SambaNova has said that on-premises inference can mean faster, more secure AI as it's controlled by the company using it rather than a third-party cloud provider or AI lab.
    — Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 8 July 2026
  • The exoskeleton is controlled using electromyography (EMG), which measures the tiny electrical signals generated by muscles in the forearm.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 7 July 2026
Definition of controlled
Verb
  • Court reporters say the job can be performed only by a human being, who can intervene to ensure everyone is heard and who bears responsibility if a transcript is missing or incomplete.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Atlas performed a series of soccer moves developed using a combination of motion retargeting, reinforcement learning and whole-body control.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of performed
Verb
  • Boston Dynamics said the same AI training methods used to teach Atlas celebratory football movements are also being applied to warehouse automation and manufacturing tasks.
    — Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
  • Bollo, the son of a domestic worker and a line cook, said he’s applied to work as a teaching assistant and graduate researcher, which would waive the cost of his tuition.
    — Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Definition of applied

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operate
operated
operates
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Cite this Entry

“Operated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operated. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of operated for Spanish Speakers

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