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operation

operation

295 3.7
A surgery where a doctor cuts the body to fix a problem
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːpəˈreɪʃən/
: operación
  • The surgeons performed a complex operation to remove the tumor safely.
  • perform an operation
  • knee operation
  • post-operation

I got flown in to do an operation in in Holland.

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Examples

  • By then, he needed a cane and had had one operation on his eyes.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • It'll pay for my baby's entire operation.

  • - That heart operation I had two years ago.

  • The girls had heard this before... but 14 years ago, I had an operation on my arm here.

  • But I told him, ever since the operation, I told him not to touch me.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I'm gonna have to have an operation, maybe even a couple of 'em.

  • Are they paying for their child's operation to save their life?

  • Alex, from Chester, has been waiting for a gallbladder operation for nearly six months.

  • I had a skin-graft operation, where they put half my right thigh in my face.

  • I'd been in a hospital twice: once for a hernia operation; another time for pneumonia.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

surgery
vsoperation
∞ 2.7

An operation in which a doctor cuts into the body to treat or repair it

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
plastic surgery
vsoperation
  • Specialized
93 3.6

Operations that repair body parts or change them to improve looks

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease rather than cosmetic change
heart surgery
vsoperation
  • Specialized
47 3.1

An operation on the heart to fix a disease or problem

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
surgical procedure
vsoperation
  • Specialized
23 4.3

A medical operation that uses cuts to treat disease or injury

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
reconstructive surgery
vsoperation
  • Specialized
16 3.9

An operation that fixes body parts so they look and work better after injury or disease

is the general medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
resection
vsoperation
  • Specialized
6 7.8

Surgery that removes part of an organ or tissue

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease rather than only removing parts
surgical operation
vsoperation
  • Specialized
3 3.0

A medical treatment where a doctor makes a cut to fix, remove, or replace a part of the body

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
excision
vsoperation
  • Specialized
2 7.9

A medical operation that cuts out tissue or a growth

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease rather than simply excising
ablation
vsoperation
  • Specialized
2 8.3

Removal of part of the body by surgery to treat a disease

is the medical act focused on cutting to repair or stop disease rather than only removal
eye operation
vsoperation
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A surgery on the eye to fix vision or treat eye problems

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
enucleation
vsoperation
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Removal of an organ or tumor by surgery without cutting it open

is defined by cutting into the body to repair damage or stop disease
cryosurgery
vsoperation
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A medical treatment that uses very cold liquid to destroy unwanted skin or body tissue

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease rather than destroying by cold
surgical process
vsoperation
  • Specialized
1 4.6

An operation where a surgeon cuts the body to fix or remove a problem

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
anaplasty
vsoperation
  • Specialized
9.9

Surgery that rebuilds damaged body parts to restore how they look and work

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease
autoplasty
vsoperation
  • Specialized
9.9

Surgery to repair a body part using tissue from another part of the person's body

is the medical act defined by cutting to repair or stop disease without tissue source detail

Idioms

27 3.2

Working now and serving its purpose

Compounds

A planned action by armed forces to achieve a goal

A secret action by a government or army to avoid being noticed

A secret police plan to trick people so they commit a crime and get arrested

Organized effort to save people who are trapped or in danger

Secret work by police or agents who hide their identity to gather evidence

A US-led military attack in 1991 that quickly forced Iraq's army out of Kuwait

13 4.9

A secret activity by a government to gather information about an enemy or threat

A military mission to stop fighting and make an area calm between groups or countries

7 5.7

Medical treatment with surgery and hormones that helps a person live as a different gender

4 8.4

A military action that tries to change what people think or feel

4 7.7

A secret activity planned and done to stay hidden, often by spies or soldiers

4 8.4

A secret action that hides who did it, often for political or military reasons

surgical operation
  • Specialized
3 3.0

A medical treatment where a doctor makes a cut to fix, remove, or replace a part of the body

strategic operation
  • Specialized
2 7.0

A carefully planned military action to reach long-term goals

amphibious operation
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A military action that lands soldiers from ships onto a shore

eye operation
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A surgery on the eye to fix vision or treat eye problems

combined operation
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A military action done together by two or more allied countries using land, sea, and air forces

computer operation
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A basic action a computer does, like adding or comparing numbers

1 3.2

A calculation in math like adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing numbers

1 6.8

A calculation that uses numbers with decimals often done by a computer

A business or group that is small and badly run

overt operation
  • Specialized
1 5.5

An activity by military or intelligence groups done openly, not secretly

real-time operation
  • Specialized
1 3.8

Handling data fast enough to keep up with things as they happen

A police action in which officers pretend to buy illegal drugs to arrest sellers

arithmetic operation
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A calculation with numbers like adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing

operation code
  • Specialized
1 5.0

A part of a computer instruction that tells the computer what to do

1 4.2

An action that follows fixed rules to give true or false results

binary operation
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A rule that combines two values into one result, like addition or AND

cognitive operation
  • Specialized
1 6.4

A mental process that changes information, like thinking or remembering

Actions that follow one another in a fixed order

concurrent operation
  • Specialized
1 5.6

Two or more actions that happen at the same time

Two or more things working at the same time

1 9.9

An attack where someone blows themselves up to kill or hurt others for a cause

matrix operation
  • Specialized
1 5.9

A calculation that uses matrices like adding or multiplying them

1 7.0

An action that runs without waiting for other tasks so the program keeps working

serial operation
  • Specialized
1 6.0

Tasks happen one after another, each starting after the last finishes

control operation
  • Specialized
1 5.8

An action that starts, changes, or stops a device working with data

logic operation
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A rule that combines true and false values like AND or OR

1 9.9

An attack in which a person kills or injures others and also dies, usually using a bomb

machine operation
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A basic task a computer or machine does as part of its program

A planned military action with clear goals that is often secret

Boolean operation
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A rule that uses true and false inputs to give a true or false result like AND, OR, NOT

monadic operation
  • Specialized
1 9.4

A math or programming action that takes only one input, like negation

off-line operation
  • Specialized
1 6.4

An action done by equipment not connected to or controlled by the main computer

parallel operation
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Doing more than one task at the same time on computers or machines

consecutive operation
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A series of tasks done one after another without overlap

A large American attack in World War I that helped push back German soldiers

4.2

An operation with two inputs that gives a true or false result

dyadic operation
  • Specialized
8.8

A way of combining two things to give one result

auxiliary operation
  • Specialized
7.9

A task performed by equipment outside the main computer, for example a printer or external drive

9.9

A secret action to take someone to safety from a dangerous area

9.0

A secret action to send data out of a computer or network to steal it

fixed-cycle operation
  • Specialized
6.7

An action that runs for a set number of regular time steps in machines or computers

majority operation
  • Specialized
8.7

A rule that gives 1 when more than half the inputs are 1 and 0 otherwise

multiplex operation
  • Specialized
7.0

A way of doing two or more tasks at the same time by sharing resources

An action a computer does to make paper copies of a document

9.6

An operation that sews the lower part of the womb closed during pregnancy to prevent early birth

rescue operation
  • Specialized
3.6

Organized effort to recover data and restart computer systems after a computer attack or failure

Actions that police or soldiers take to stop and control a violent crowd during a riot

synchronous operation
  • Specialized
5.9

An operation that follows a regular clock so events happen at expected times

threshold operation
  • Specialized
6.6

A process that checks values against a set level and marks which values meet it

tin-pot operation
  • Offensive
7.9

A small badly run business or group that seems unimportant

Shirodkar's operation
  • Specialized
9.9

A surgical operation that puts a stitch around the cervix to stop it opening too early in pregnancy

A training activity where soldiers rehearse battle actions in realistic conditions without real fighting

unary operation
  • Specialized
7.4

A math or computer action that uses one value

How Invasive

major surgery
  • Specialized
19 4.0
operation
295 3.7
minor surgery
  • Specialized
7 3.6

Surface Forms

operation singular
operations plural

Morphology

operation = operate (semi-transparent) = operate + ion

The medical sense ('surgical procedure') is the conventionalized noun of 'to operate' (perform surgery) and is domain-specific, so learners may need exposure to link the term to surgery.

Etymology

Operation comes from Latin operari, meaning 'to work', and is the same root as operate. A medical operation is literally when a doctor 'works on' the body to fix a problem.