• Dictionary
  • List of exercises
  • Exercises by level

Meaning of operation in English

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˌɑpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/

    US accent Play buttonYour browser does not support the audio element.

    How to pronounce operation in American English, in context ▾
    Use the controls below Controls button to browse different examples of pronunciation.

    UK accent Play buttonYour browser does not support the audio element.

    How to pronounce operation in British English, in context ▾
    Use the controls below Controls button to browse different examples of pronunciation.
  1. Noun

    operation

    Etymology

    late Middle English: via Old French from Latin operatio(n-), from the verb operari‘expend labor on’ (see operate)

    Definitions

    1. a business especially one run on a large scale

    Examples

    • « a large-scale farming operation »
    • « a multinational operation »
    • « they paid taxes on every stage of the operation »
    • « they had to consolidate their operations »
  2. 2. a planned activity involving many people performing various actions

    Examples

    • « they organized a rescue operation »
    • « the biggest police operation in French history »
    • « running a restaurant is quite an operation »
    • « consolidate the companies various operations »
  3. 3. a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work

    Examples

    • « the operations in building a house »
    • « certain machine tool operations »
  4. 4. the state of being in effect or being operative

    Examples

    • « that rule is no longer in operation »
  5. 5. a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments

    Examples

    • « performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body »
    • « they will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available »
    • « he died while undergoing surgery »
  6. 6. activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)

    Examples

    • « it was a joint operation of the navy and air force »
  7. 7. (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)

    Examples

    • « it can perform millions of operations per second »
  8. 8. process or manner of functioning or operating

    Examples

    • « the power of its engine determine its operation »
    • « the plane's operation in high winds »
    • « they compared the cooking performance of each oven »
    • « the jet's performance conformed to high standards »
  9. 9. (mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods

    Examples

    • « the problems at the end of the chapter demonstrated the mathematical processes involved in the derivation »
    • « they were learning the basic operations of arithmetic »
  10. 10. (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity

    Examples

    • « an operation that affects mental contents »
    • « the process of thinking »
    • « the cognitive operation of remembering »
  11. 11. the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.)

    Examples

    • « her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride »

Navigation

    Books Teacher Resources About Contact

Lessons

    Beginner Intermediate Advanced
© 2021, NAGEL PTY LTD 🇦🇺 • Terms • Privacy