operating 1 of 2

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
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
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslav Sikorski, for example, has suggested that NATO should shoot down Russian drones operating over western Ukraine. Morgan Winsor, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2025 Unlike operating businesses dependent on execution, crypto treasury firms get leveraged exposure to price appreciation. Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Meanwhile, attraction operators are heavily trained in operating the rides, and they get tested on their knowledge as well. Eve Chen, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025 Search and rescue crews operating in the Rio Grande National Forest in southern Colorado on Thursday found the bodies of two missing elk hunters, according to a family member. Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025 But many of those spacecraft are operating well past their prime. Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 19 Sep. 2025 Beijing effectively seized control of the area after a 2012 standoff and has frequently ejected Filipino fishermen operating there. Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025 The organization is the eighth oldest Boys and Girls Club operating in the United States and has produced more national Youth of the Year winners than any other club. Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025 Each of these is a separate spectrometer, operating on different principles and designed for a different range of neutron flux intensities. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operating
Adjective
  • The effort will accelerate development, production, and deployment of Draper for critical national security applications in space and ultimately validate the engine’s performance and flexibility under operational conditions.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Resilience has now flown four of those; the capsule also conducted Crew-1, SpaceX first operational astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA, as well as Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn, the company's first and most recent private crew launches to Earth orbit, respectively.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 21 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Matt believes that Ethan is handling the transition from high school to the pros well.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025
  • In addition to handling the mortgage fraud probe against James, Siebert's office has also been involved in a criminal investigation of Comey related to the agency's past probes of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
    Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Green Bay’s opponents are managing only 232 yards per game.
    Jon Machota, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • In recent months, EOIR leadership has criticized judges for not efficiently managing their caseloads, and has encouraged adjudicators to streamline asylum reviews and give oral, as opposed to written, decisions on case dismissals.
    Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In December Democratic senators critical of Medicaid work requirements, including Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, had asked the GAO to report on the administrative costs of implementing Pathways and verifying that recipients are working, studying or volunteering.
    Margaret Coker, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Spontaneity became part of the process, and working with kids or younger participants often led to the most joyful, unexpected images.
    Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which recommends using acetaminophen to treat fever and pain in pregnant women, says that untreated fever can cause grave harms such as miscarriage, birth defects or premature birth, especially early in a pregnancy.
    Jon Hamilton, NPR, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Their words will have bolstered his belief, giving him the confidence to show for and collect the ball again in the defensive third just after the break, using a combination of touches and pauses to evade Brentford pressure before making a more assured sideways pass this time.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • This smaller inverse-head-and shoulders that appears the same is actually a very small part of the larger operative weekly pattern.
    Todd Gordon, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2025
  • Entirely being the operative word.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The former vice president also gave a less-than-effusive endorsement of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic socialist running to become the next New York City mayor.
    Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 23 Sep. 2025
  • His upper half is running the play while his lower half is plotting an escape route.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The assistant chief counsel leads a legal team by supervising attorneys, giving legal advice and representing the department.
    Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Sage Cotugno serves as supervising director.
    Leia Mendoza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Operating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operating. Accessed 25 Sep. 2025.

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