Adjacent Words

Operate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OP'ERATE, v.i. [L. operor; Heb. signifies to be strong, to prevail.]
1. To act; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical. External bodies operate on animals by means of perception. Sound operates upon the auditory nerves through the medium of air. Medicines operate on the body by increasing or diminishing organic action.
2. To act or produce effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence. Motives operate on the mind in determining the judgment. Examples operate in producing imitation.
The virtues of private persons operate but on a few -
A plain convincing reason operates on the mind both of a learned and an ignorant hearer as long as he lives.
3. In surgery, to perform some manual act in a methodical manner upon a human body, and usually with instruments, with a view to restore soundness or health; as in amputation, lithotomy and the like.
4. To act; to have agency; to produce any effect.
OP'ERATE, v.t. To effect; to produce by agency.
The same cause would operate a diminution of the value of stock -
[This use is not frequent, and can hardly be said to be well authorized.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.; "She is running a relief operation in the Sudan" [syn: operate, run]
2: perform as expected when applied; "The washing machine won't go unless it's plugged in"; "Does this old car still run well?"; "This old radio doesn't work anymore" [syn: function, work, operate, go, run] [ant: malfunction, misfunction]
3: handle and cause to function; "do not operate machinery after imbibing alcohol"; "control the lever" [syn: operate, control]
4: perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense [syn: manoeuver, maneuver, manoeuvre, operate]
5: happen; "What is going on in the minds of the people?"
6: keep engaged; "engaged the gears" [syn: engage, mesh, lock, operate] [ant: disengage, withdraw]
7: perform surgery on; "The doctors operated on the patient but failed to save his life" [syn: operate on, operate]

Merriam Webster's

verb (-ated; -ating) Etymology: Latin operatus, past participle of operari to work, from oper-, opus work; akin to Old English efnan to perform, Sanskrit apas work Date: 1588 intransitive verb 1. to perform a function ; exert power or influence <factors operating against our success> 2. to produce an appropriate effect <the drug operated quickly> 3. a. to perform an operation or a series of operations b. to perform surgery c. to carry on a military or naval action or mission 4. to follow a course of conduct that is often irregular <crooked gamblers operating in the club> transitive verb 1. bring about, effect 2. a. to cause to function ; work b. to put or keep in operation 3. to perform an operation on; especially to perform surgery on

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. manage, work, control; put or keep in a functional state. 2 intr. be in action; function. 3 intr. produce an effect; exercise influence (the tax operates to our disadvantage). 4 intr. (often foll. by on) a perform a surgical operation. b conduct a military or naval action. c be active in business etc., esp. dealing in stocks and shares. 5 intr. (foll. by on) influence or affect (feelings etc.). 6 tr. bring about; accomplish. Phrases and idioms: operating system the basic software that enables the running of a computer program. operating theatre (or room) a room for surgical operations. Etymology: L operari to work f. opus operis work

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Operate Op"er*ate, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Operated; p. pr. & vb. n. Operating.] [L. operatus, p. p. of operari to work, fr. opus, operis, work, labor; akin to Skr. apas, and also to G. ["u]ben to exercise, OHG. uoben, Icel. ?fa. Cf. Inure, Maneuver, Ure.] 1. To perform a work or labor; to exert power or strengh, physical or mechanical; to act. 2. To produce an appropriate physical effect; to issue in the result designed by nature; especially (Med.), to take appropriate effect on the human system. 3. To act or produce effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence. The virtues of private persons operate but on a few. --Atterbury. A plain, convincing reason operates on the mind both of a learned and ignorant hearer as long as they live. --Swift. 4. (Surg.) To perform some manual act upon a human body in a methodical manner, and usually with instruments, with a view to restore soundness or health, as in amputation, lithotomy, etc. 5. To deal in stocks or any commodity with a view to speculative profits. [Brokers' Cant]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Operate Op"er*ate, v. t. 1. To produce, as an effect; to cause. The same cause would operate a diminution of the value of stock. --A. Hamilton. 2. To put into, or to continue in, operation or activity; to work; as, to operate a machine.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(operates, operating, operated) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you operate a business or organization, you work to keep it running properly. If a business or organization operates, it carries out its work. Until his death in 1986 Greenwood owned and operated an enormous pear orchard. ...allowing commercial banks to operate in the country... Operating costs jumped from £85.3m to £95m. VERB: V n, V, V-ing • operation Company finance is to provide funds for the everyday operation of the business. 2. The way that something operates is the way that it works or has a particular effect. Ceiling and wall lights can operate independently... The world of work doesn't operate that way. VERB: V adv/prep, V n • operation Why is it the case that taking part-time work is made so difficult by the operation of the benefit system? N-UNCOUNT: oft N of n 3. When you operate a machine or device, or when it operates, you make it work. A massive rock fall trapped the men as they operated a tunnelling machine... The number of fax machines operating around the world has now reached ten million. VERB: V n, V • operation ...over 1,000 dials monitoring every aspect of the operation of the aeroplane. N-UNCOUNT 4. When surgeons operate on a patient in a hospital, they cut open a patient's body in order to remove, replace, or repair a diseased or damaged part. The surgeon who operated on the King released new details of his injuries... You examine a patient and then you decide whether or not to operate. VERB: V on n, V 5. If military forces are operating in a particular region, they are in that place in order to carry out their orders. Up to ten thousand Zimbabwean soldiers are operating in Mozambique... VERB: V prep

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. [Followed by on or upon.] Act, work, have effect, have influence. II. v. a. 1. Produce, effect, cause, occasion. 2. Work.

Moby Thesaurus

act, angle, be caught short, be effective, be in action, be responsible for, be short, behave, belong, brew, bucket, bucketshop, cabal, carry on, carry out, carry through, chart a course, collude, complot, concoct, cond, conduct, conn, connive, conspire, control, cook up, countermine, counterplot, coxswain, cut, deal with, deposit margin, direct, do with, drive, employ, engineer, exercise, exert, finagle, finesse, frame, frame up, function, go, go long, guide, handle, hatch, hatch a plot, hatch up, have effect, have free play, have play, have the conn, helm, hold on, intrigue, keep, lay a plot, machinate, make, make a killing, make a scoop, make go, make use of, manage, maneuver, manipulate, margin up, militate, miss the market, move, navigate, open up, ordain, overstay the market, percolate, perform, perform on, perk, pilot, play, play the market, plot, plunge, ply, practice, proceed, pyramid, react, rig, run, scalp, scheme, scoop the market, see to, serve, shape a course, speculate, stag, stag the market, steer, take, take a flier, take care of, take effect, tick, trade on margin, use, utilize, venture, wangle, wield, work