What does "operator" mean?
A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
Operator
/ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.
- Grammar: operator is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: activist, actor, administrator, adventurer.
- Useful contrasts: automatons, bystander, customer.
- Usage evidence: Operator, I'd like to place a call to Winnipeg, Canada, but I can't quite remember the number.
How to use "operator"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "operator" 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 "operator" 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 "operator" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "operator" 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 "operator" is acting as noun, slang 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 "activist" 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 "operator", 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 A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc. countable, uncountable
"The drone crashed because of operator error."
- 2 a shrewd or unscrupulous person who knows how to circumvent difficulties wordnet
- 3 A telecommunications facilitator whose job is to connect or otherwise assist callers. countable, uncountable
"To get an international line, you used to have to go through the operator."
- 4 an agent that operates some apparatus or machine wordnet
- 5 A member of a military special operations unit. countable, uncountable
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 someone who owns or operates a business wordnet
- 7 The game of Chinese whispers. uncountable
- 8 a speculator who trades aggressively on stock or commodity markets wordnet
- 9 A person who is adept at making deals or getting results, especially one who uses questionable methods. countable, informal, uncountable
"Francis Urquhart: I think Lord Billsborough is starting to lose touch a bit. Tim Stamper: Shame. Used to be a hell of an operator in his day."
- 10 (mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation wordnet
- 11 A function or other mapping that carries values defined on a domain into another value or set of values in a defined range. countable, uncountable
- 12 The administrator of a channel or network on IRC. countable, uncountable
- 13 A symbol that represents a construct in a programming language and differs from a normal function in its syntax. countable, uncountable
- 14 A kind of expression that enters into an a-bar movement dependency and is said to bind a variable. countable, uncountable
"In the sentence "What did Bill say he wants to buy?", "what" is an operator, binding a phonetically empty variable."
- 15 A bus driver. countable, uncountable
- 16 The company that operates a mine; often the same one that owns the mine. countable, uncountable
- 17 A thief or charlatan. countable, slang, uncountable
"Sir Ol. Sirrah! I got many a round Sum by it, when my Father wou'd not give me a Groat—Then, Sir, I was in with all the Top Gameſters, and when there was a fat Squire to be fleec'd; I had my Office among them too, and tho' I ſay it, was one of the neateſt Operators about Town."
- 18 A major criminal. countable, slang, uncountable
"He started bleating to me this morning aboot being stretched on this hippy stalk. A fuckin waste of time. Big operators flooding the city with smack and three-quarters of the cunts we bang up are daft schemies or students with a wee bit of hash or a few pills for their pals."
- 19 Someone who is successful at pursuing women; a player. countable, dated, slang, uncountable
"I give credit to men who are great operators, as we once called them, with the girls. Once I was interviewing one of the most beautiful girls in the world in her suite at the Hotel Plaza. While she was busily denying to me that there was anything serious in her relationship with Warren Beatty, who should be barging into the next room of the suite with a lot of clothes being removed from another suite, but Warren Beatty?"
Example
"Operator, I'd like to place a call to Winnipeg, Canada, but I can't quite remember the number."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "operator"?
Common synonyms include: activist, actor, administrator, adventurer, agent, architect.
How do you use "operator" in a sentence?
Operator, I'd like to place a call to Winnipeg, Canada, but I can't quite remember the number.
How do you pronounce "operator"?
Pronounced /ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin operātor, from operor (“work, labour”). Equivalent to operate + -or.