Skip to main content
operation

operation

∞ 3.2
A planned action by a group to achieve a goal
  • noun
  • /ˌɑːpəˈreɪʃən/
: operación
  • Much of what was done during the 2014 operation was improvised and will now become institutionalized.
  • military operations
  • peacekeeping operations
  • conduct operations

He's the director of operations for the CIA.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • But holding up this relief operation really does boggle the mind.

  • In my absence, Concetta will manage all New York operations.

  • My major operations are in southern California.

  • So the police may know the whole operation?

  • Quite a sophisticated operation you have here.

  • Israeli officials would not have conducted such operations had they believed a hot war would result.

    Academic text (2008)
  • And I could have walked down the middle, directing the operation.

  • As a whole, the IDF is designed for quick and decisive operations, at least in theory.

    Academic text (2015)
  • A police and coast guard search operation involving a helicopter... has been halted due to fog.

  • The police conducted a thorough operation to dismantle the drug trafficking network.

Synonyms

mission
vsoperation
∞ 2.8

An important task or a group sent by an organization to do it

focuses on a planned, organized group activity rather than just importance or assignment
military operation
vsoperation
61 3.7

A planned action by armed forces to achieve a goal

applies to planned activities by any coordinated group not only armed forces
military mission
vsoperation
14 4.0

A task given to a group of soldiers to reach a clear goal

is broader and covers planned activities not limited to tasks assigned by authority

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 Large

offensive
128 7.4
campaign
∞ 2.7
operation
∞ 3.2
to raid
67 4.1
to action
  • Jargon
7 4.7

Surface Forms

operation singular
operations plural

Morphology

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

The sense 'planned/organized activity' is a specialized, metaphorical extension of 'the act of operating', so learners may not immediately infer the specific institutional or military usage.

Etymology

Operation comes from the Latin verb operari, meaning 'to work', and is the same root as operator. That's why a military or rescue operation is a planned group 'work' to reach a goal.