operate

verb

(transitive or intransitive) To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act.

(medicine, transitive or intransitive) 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.

(intransitive) To produce an effect.

(intransitive) To produce an appropriate physical effect; to issue in the result designed by nature; especially (medicine) to take appropriate effect on the human system.

(transitive) To bring about as an effect; to cause.

(intransitive) To act or produce an effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence.

(transitive or intransitive) To deal in stocks or any commodity with a view to speculative profits.

(transitive) To put into, or to continue in, operation or activity; to work.

Roots

opusoper- · Latin · work

Synonyms for operate

functionn runv workn controln maneuvern gov managev performv employv wieldv utilizev behavev

Synonyms & related words for operate

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of operate — including function, run, work, control, maneuver, go. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to operate

Explore words related to operate — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include operation, operable, operably, operational, operationally, engage, keypuncher, workings. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for operate

Common synonyms for operate include function, run, work, control, maneuver, go, manage, perform — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does operate come from?

The word operate breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root oper-, from Latin opus (“work”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.