1
as in mission
a specific task with which a person or group is charged
a secret operation which, if it is discovered, the government will deny any knowledge of
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in process
a usually fixed or ordered series of actions or events leading to a result
a specific mathematical operation is required in order to get the correct answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something
given the constant threat of robbery, the operation of a convenience store can be quite stressful
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in use
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose
a considerable amount of training is required for the operation of these new high-tech weapons systems
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of operation
The investigation into the operation remains ongoing, the sheriff's office said.
—
Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The market had been in operation for over a year when photo was taken.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 30 Apr. 2026
But running an operation of that scale isn’t cheap.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 30 Apr. 2026
In 1999, the Clinton administration continued its bombing campaign in Kosovo past the statutory deadline, arguing that lawmakers had authorized the operations by approving funding for it.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for operation
Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
The market had been in operation for over a year when photo was taken.
—Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 30 Apr. 2026
But running an operation of that scale isn’t cheap.
—Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 30 Apr. 2026
In 1999, the Clinton administration continued its bombing campaign in Kosovo past the statutory deadline, arguing that lawmakers had authorized the operations by approving funding for it.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for operation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operation
Noun
-
Altman pitched the conversion as critical to securing the vast amount of funding OpenAI needs to fulfill its mission of creating artificial general intelligence — or AGI — that will benefit humanity.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The case centers on Musk’s claim that OpenAI, Altman and Microsoft betrayed OpenAI's original mission as a nonprofit to benefit humanity by forming a for-profit entity in March 2019, 13 months after Musk left the OpenAI board.—
Deepa Seetharaman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the process, however, one of the big distinguishing aspects of TV – the large audiences who once assembled to watch dramas, sitcoms and reality shows – has eroded.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Other states have to confront the unprecedented possibility of revising maps even as voters are casting ballots or the legal process of declaring intent to run for office has concluded.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
John McCann, the incumbent mayor of Chula Vista who owns a real estate and property management company, is seeking another term in office, running on a record of economic development, public safety and neighborhood investment.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
County officials said the move was intended to create a more centralized and accountable system, following audits that raised concerns about LAHSA’s financial management.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Expanding urbanization and the use of traditional lighting of buildings, highways and residential neighborhoods are blinding us to an eternal beauty.—
Ernie Cowan,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
He was brought in as competition with Milton for the backup job.—
Jon Machota,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
-
When people are priced out of their neighborhoods, they are pushed farther away from their jobs, schools and support systems.—
Ryan von Weller,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Walker, however, agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they will be persecuted or strip them of mandatory procedures that protect against their removal.—
Michael Kunzelman,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Under standard procedure, those who filed a claim against Purdue with the bankruptcy court in the first round — including cities, hospitals and individual opioid victims — were entitled to vote on the new bankruptcy plan.—
Craig R. McCoy,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Which makes Gallego’s handling of the Swalwell disaster all the more remarkable.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Tony Thurmond delivered the most compelling performance of the evening, effectively sharing his personal narrative as the child of a Panamanian immigrant while maintaining discipline with debate time limits and repeatedly challenging Chad Bianco’s record on ballot handling in Riverside County.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Right-of-publicity claims can also be defeated by the First Amendment, which protects the use of a person’s identity in news reporting, parody and other applications where the person might not consent.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The new filing will restart the clock, which leaves a likely timeline for rejection or approval by the Surface Transportation Board sometime next year — if the board accepts the application as complete within the next month.—
Emma Hurt,
AJC.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Operation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operation. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
