operation

[ op-uh-rey-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or instance, process, or manner of functioning or operating.
2. the state of being operative (usually preceded by in or into ):

   a rule no longer in operation.

3. the power to act; efficacy, influence, or force.
4. the exertion of force, power, or influence; agency:

   the operation of alcohol on the mind.

5. a process of a practical or mechanical nature in some form of work or production:

   a delicate operation in watchmaking.

6. a course or procedure of productive or industrial activity:

   building operations.

7. a particular process or course:

   mental operations.

8. a business transaction, especially one of a speculative nature; deal:

   a shady operation.

9. a business, especially one run on a large scale:

   a multinational operation.

10. Surgery. a procedure aimed at restoring or improving the health of a patient, as by correcting a malformation, removing diseased parts, implanting new parts, etc.
11. Mathematics.
    1. a mathematical process, as addition, multiplication, or differentiation.
    2. the action of applying a mathematical process to a quantity or quantities.
12. Computers. any discrete activity or action that is performed by a computer, as reading, writing, processing, sending, or receiving data:

    The http request operation has timed out.

13. Military.
    1. a campaign, mission, maneuver, or action.
    2. Usually operations. the conduct of a campaign, mission, etc.
    3. operations, a headquarters, office, or place from which a military campaign, air traffic to and from an airfield, or any of various other activities, is planned, conducted, and controlled.
    4. operations, the people who work at such a headquarters.

operation

/ ˌɒpəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or manner of operating
2. the state of being in effect, in action, or operative (esp in the phrases in or into operation )
3. a process, method, or series of acts, esp of a practical or mechanical nature
4. surgery any manipulation of the body or one of its organs or parts to repair damage, arrest the progress of a disease, remove foreign matter, etc
5. 1. a military or naval action, such as a campaign, manoeuvre, etc
   2. ( capital and prenominal when part of a name )

      Operation Crossbow

6. maths
   1. any procedure, such as addition, multiplication, involution, or differentiation, in which one or more numbers or quantities are operated upon according to specific rules
   2. a function from a set onto itself
7. a commercial or financial transaction

operation

/ ŏp′ə-rā′shən /

1. Medicine.
   A surgical procedure for remedying an injury, ailment, defect, or dysfunction.
2. Mathematics.
   A process or action, such as addition, substitution, transposition, or differentiation, performed in a specified sequence and in accordance with specific rules.
3. A logical operation.
4. Computer Science.
   An action resulting from a single instruction.

Other Words From

• mis·op·er·a·tion noun
• pre·op·er·a·tion noun
• re·op·er·a·tion noun
• sub·op·er·a·tion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of operation¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English operacioun, oparacion, operation, from Latin operātiōn- (stem of operātiō ), equivalent to operāt(us) + -iōn- noun suffix of action or condition; operate

Example Sentences

It was suggested it had been conducted by the UK to be able to blame Russia "as part of a sort of bizarre and surreptitious intelligence operation of some variety", he added.

From BBC

Some processing operations are easier to accomplish in one form and some in the other.

From Science Daily

This is the second round of cuts to hit Ford’s operations in Britain in less than two years.

From BBC

But Rob Jones, director of operations at the NCA, says cracking down on the trade is complex - and even more difficult than policing the movement of illegal drugs.

From BBC

A majority of farming operations in Ventura County are smaller growers that might not have crop insurance or are underinsured because fire coverage is not available for all farms.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• action
• activity
• affair
• agency
• application
• deal
• effort
• enterprise
• exercise
• force
• movement
• procedure
• process
• service
• transaction
• trip
• use
• work