What does "operation" mean?
The method by which a device performs its function.
Operation
/ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ noun
noun ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The method by which a device performs its function.
- Grammar: operation is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: process, surgery, a procedure, accomplished fact.
- Useful contrasts: break down, breakdown, breakdown of institutions.
- Usage evidence: I had an operation for glaucoma last year.
How to use "operation"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "operation" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "operation" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "operation" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "operation" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "operation" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "process" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "operation", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The method by which a device performs its function. uncountable
"It is dangerous to look at the beam of a laser while it is in operation."
- 2 the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.) wordnet
- 3 The method or practice by which actions are done. uncountable
- 4 a planned activity involving many people performing various actions wordnet
- 5 The act or process of operating (verb): agency; the exertion of power, physical, mechanical, or moral. uncountable
"the pain and sickness caused by manna are confessedly nothing but the effects of its operations on the stomach and guts."
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work wordnet
- 7 A planned undertaking. countable
"The police ran an operation to get vagrants off the streets."
- 8 a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body wordnet
- 9 A business or organization. countable
"We run our operation from a storefront."
- 10 (mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods wordnet
- 11 A surgical procedure. countable
"She had an operation to remove her appendix."
- 12 activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign) wordnet
- 13 A procedure for generating a value from one or more other values (the operands). countable
"The number of operands associated with an operation is called its arity; an operation of arity 2 is called a binary operation."
- 14 a business especially one run on a large scale wordnet
- 15 A procedure for generating a value from one or more other values (the operands).; A function which maps zero or more (but typically two) operands to a single output value. countable
- 16 (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents wordnet
- 17 A military campaign (e.g. Operation Desert Storm). countable
- 18 (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction) wordnet
- 19 Effect produced; influence. countable, obsolete
"The bards […] had great operation on the vulgar."
- 20 process or manner of functioning or operating wordnet
- 21 the state of being in effect or being operative wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I had an operation for glaucoma last year."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "operation"?
Common synonyms include: process, surgery, a procedure, accomplished fact, accomplishment, achievement.
How do you use "operation" in a sentence?
I had an operation for glaucoma last year.
How do you pronounce "operation"?
Pronounced /ˌɒp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃épos Proto-Italic *opos Latin opus Latin opera Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Latin operātus Latin operor Proto-Indo-European *-tisder. Proto-Italic *-tjō Latin -tiō Latin operātiōder. Old French operacionbor. Middle English operacioun English operation From Middle English operacioun, from Old French operacion, from Latin operātiō, from the verb operor (“I work”), from opus, operis (“work”). Equivalent to operate + -ion.