Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

modus operandi

American  
[moh-duhs op-uh-ran-dee, -dahy, moh-doos oh-pe-rahn-dee] / ˈmoʊ dəs ˌɒp əˈræn di, -daɪ, ˈmoʊ dus ˌoʊ pɛˈrɑn di /

noun

plural

modi operandi

  1. a mode of operating or working.

    The aim of a scientist is to investigate the modus operandi of the natural world.

  2. one’s usual way of doing something: MO

    A criminal’s modus operandi can give the police a lead.
modus operandi British  
/ -ˈrændaɪ, ˈməʊdəs ˌɒpəˈrændiː /

noun

  1. procedure; method of operating

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
modus operandi Cultural  

  1. The way someone does something; a characteristic method: “Her modus operandi in buying a new car always included a month of research.” This phrase, often abbreviated “m.o.,” is used by police to describe a criminal's characteristic way of committing a crime. From Latin, meaning “method of operation.”

Etymology

Origin of modus operandi

First recorded in 1645–55; New Latin: literally “mode of working”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Given the modus operandi of this market is to shoot first and ask questions later, we believe this selloff represents an attractive buying opportunity,” Monness, Crespi, Hardt analyst Brian White wrote on Tuesday.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Other digital asset treasury companies that sought to ape Saylor’s modus operandi have suffered a similar fate.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

His modus operandi generally is better understood when he is so considered.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

The modus operandi of the heist could help narrow the search of suspects.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2025

Reform, not punishment, is her modus operandi, and Celia has succeeded in converting many young delinquents into productive revolutionaries.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.