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operations

noun

plural of operation
1
as in missions
a specific task with which a person or group is charged a secret operation which, if it is discovered, the government will deny any knowledge of

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2
as in processes
a usually fixed or ordered series of actions or events leading to a result a specific mathematical operation is required in order to get the correct answer

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3
as in managements
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something given the constant threat of robbery, the operation of a convenience store can be quite stressful

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4
as in applications
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose a considerable amount of training is required for the operation of these new high-tech weapons systems

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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 operations The police compound housed counterterrorism police, who had carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 The bills prohibits agents, officers and employees of DHS or those acting under authority of the agency from conducting operations in child care facilities, school bus stops and playgrounds. — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026 The police compound housed counter-terrorism police, who had carried out operations against militants across the province in recent years. — Riaz Khan, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 Adak will continue as chief product officer and oversee product, commercial and operations functions spanning sales, technology, sourcing, supply chain and production. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026 Whitney Eigenfeld, Rosalind Franklin’s lead simulations operations specialist, was giving demonstrations in the obstetrics section of the simulator. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026 The group will work on engineering, manufacturing, nuclear quality assurance, operations, training, licensing and commercialization activities. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026 In July, France’s Cyber Crisis Coordination Centre blamed Russia for a series of cyberespionage operations conducted for years against sensitive French infrastructure, including government ministries. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026 Brown University’s Costs of War project estimates that post-9/11 American military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, and Pakistan killed nearly a million people between 2001 and 2023, including more than four hundred thousand civilians. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operations
  1. missions
  2. processes
  3. managements
  4. applications
  5. jobs
  6. procedures
  7. controls
  8. uses
Noun
  • Their influence also extended beyond their original military missions and into satellite launches, human spaceflight and unmanned aviation.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That perfectly summarized all of their approaches to the game, to the challenges, to the missions, and yeah, the money means so much to them.
    — Hunter Ingram, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of missions
Noun
  • Which sounds naff, but a great company is just actually a collection of processes that [also allow people to] innovate and change and collaborate.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • An interim government overhaul of long-standing vaccine procurement processes may have limited stockpiles, Faizullah says.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of processes
Noun
  • Most managements feel that the — on the price of their shares — that the higher, the better.
    — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026
  • These are different eras, and the respective managements are no longer the same, but something about this feels off.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2026
Definition of managements
Noun
  • Potential applications span energy, healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, communications and security.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Efficiently packing high-dimensional spheres into their abstract spaces has surprisingly practical applications to digital communication technology.
    — Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of applications
Noun
  • Cabot expects the projects to support manufacturing and construction jobs while creating additional capacity for customers operating in the North American battery supply chain.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • This period included a plan to cut 200 jobs in 2024, though Channel 4’s average employee numbers only fell by 67 roles during that year.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of jobs
Noun
  • Big-box retailers run their fall reporting through corporate procedures and can be strict about timing.
    — Matthew Kayser, Miami Herald, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Many of these procedures are referred to as vaginal rejuvenation or vaginal restoration.
    — Valerie Monroe, Allure, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of procedures
Noun
  • Or Hwang could venture into the more flexible surplus lines market, made up of largely out-of-state carriers that specialize in high-risk insurance sold without price controls or state backing.
    — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Some of these include cross-app actions, granular parental controls, and contextual Siri.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of controls
Noun
  • The land hosted a commercial laundry, metal refinery and other industrial and retail uses dating back to the mid-1800s, according to an environmental consultant’s report.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026
  • While hunter-gatherers from that time are known to have used their teeth as tools — holding, breaking, stretching things — none of those uses matched the grooves on these teeth.
    — Pien Huang, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of uses

Browse Nearby Words

operational
operations
operative
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Cite this Entry

“Operations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operations. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

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