1
as in spies
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
CIA operatives take terrible risks to find out the secrets of foreign countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in detectives
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
set in the 1930s, the novel is about a washed-out operative working for a third-rate detective agency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of operatives
That summer, Cohen and a team of DOGE operatives touched down at the NRC offices, a series of nondescript towers across from a Dunkin’ in suburban Maryland.
—
Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Or for the suggestion that Chinese intelligence operatives were roaming near sensitive sites with impunity.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Two other political operatives also pleaded guilty to their roles and a dark money group admitted in court to serving as a conduit for the cash.
—ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
Over a roughly three-month investigation, Nisos uncovered an apparent network of at least 20 North Korean operatives including Jo who had collectively applied to at least 160,000 roles.
—Lisa Cavazuti, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
By allowing everyone to vote absentee, Flexer said, voters should not be as reliant on campaigns and political operatives to obtain those mail-in ballots.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
The Justice Department called the violence an attack plotted by antifa operatives, but attorneys for the accused denied that characterization, saying there were no antifa associations and that there was merely a demonstration with fireworks before gunshots broke out.
—Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Shoshani also claimed Hezbollah was attempting to send operatives toward Lebanon's border with Israel, and that Israel would continue carrying out strikes for as long as necessary to eliminate the threat.
—CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Republican operatives have pointed to Kim’s lukewarm support of the president in previous years.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
Avi Asher-Schapiro, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Or for the suggestion that Chinese intelligence operatives were roaming near sensitive sites with impunity.
—Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
Two other political operatives also pleaded guilty to their roles and a dark money group admitted in court to serving as a conduit for the cash.
—ABC News, 17 Mar. 2026
Over a roughly three-month investigation, Nisos uncovered an apparent network of at least 20 North Korean operatives including Jo who had collectively applied to at least 160,000 roles.
—Lisa Cavazuti, NBC news, 15 Mar. 2026
By allowing everyone to vote absentee, Flexer said, voters should not be as reliant on campaigns and political operatives to obtain those mail-in ballots.
—Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
The Justice Department called the violence an attack plotted by antifa operatives, but attorneys for the accused denied that characterization, saying there were no antifa associations and that there was merely a demonstration with fireworks before gunshots broke out.
—Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
Shoshani also claimed Hezbollah was attempting to send operatives toward Lebanon's border with Israel, and that Israel would continue carrying out strikes for as long as necessary to eliminate the threat.
—CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
Republican operatives have pointed to Kim’s lukewarm support of the president in previous years.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operatives
Noun
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Byunghun and Jimin will play the undercover spies.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
24 Mar. 2026
-
These mechanical quadrupeds, made by the likes of Boston Dynamics and Ghost Robotics, can patrol premises, scanning the perimeter for intruders, spies, and other ne’er-do-wells, and sound the alarm when holes in fences or other suspicious things are detected.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Two people were taken into custody shortly after the shooting and were still being questioned by Belmont area detectives late Wednesday, according to a police spokesperson.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Co-workers told detectives that Chino shows up at neighborhood projects from time to time looking to do construction jobs for some money, cops said.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Congress’s February efforts to resolve the shutdown were complicated by the lawless ICE campaign in Minneapolis, where federal agents killed two American citizens during a brutal crackdown on protests.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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The Keep Air Travel Safe Act, filed in October, extended the protection to Transportation Security Administration agents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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He was last seen running near the outdoor gear store Cabela's, but investigators learned the suspect fled the complex in an unknown direction.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Those statements included details that only someone involved in the killing would know, investigators said.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated March 21,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Operatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operatives. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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