OPERATOR

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does operator mean? 

• OPERATOR (noun)
  The noun OPERATOR has 5 senses:

1. (mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation

2. an agent that operates some apparatus or machine

3. someone who owns or operates a business

4. a shrewd or unscrupulous person who knows how to circumvent difficulties

5. a speculator who trades aggressively on stock or commodity markets

  Familiarity information: OPERATOR used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPERATOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas

Hypernyms ("operator" is a kind of...):

function; map; mapping; mathematical function; single-valued function ((mathematics) a mathematical relation such that each element of a given set (the domain of the function) is associated with an element of another set (the range of the function))

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operator"):

linear operator (an operator that obeys the distributive law: A(f+g) = Af + Ag (where f and g are functions))

identity; identity element; identity operator (an operator that leaves unchanged the element on which it operates)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An agent that operates some apparatus or machine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

manipulator; operator

Context example:

the operator of the switchboard

Hypernyms ("operator" is a kind of...):

causal agency; causal agent; cause (any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operator"):

company operator (an operator who works for a company)

driver (the operator of a motor vehicle)

elevator operator (an operator of an elevator)

engine driver; engineer; locomotive engineer; railroad engineer (the operator of a railway locomotive)

hoister (an operator of a hoist)

jockey (an operator of some vehicle or machine or apparatus)

motorman (the operator of streetcar)

radio operator (someone who operates a radio transmitter)

switchman (a man who operates railroad switches)

telegraph operator; telegrapher; telegraphist (someone who transmits messages by telegraph)

switchboard operator; telephone operator; telephonist (someone who helps callers get the person they are calling)

Derivation:

operate (handle and cause to function)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Someone who owns or operates a business

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

who is the operator of this franchise?

Hypernyms ("operator" is a kind of...):

businessman; man of affairs (a person engaged in commercial or industrial business (especially an owner or executive))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operator"):

supermarketeer; supermarketer (an operator of a supermarket)

Derivation:

operate (direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A shrewd or unscrupulous person who knows how to circumvent difficulties

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

hustler; operator; wheeler dealer

Hypernyms ("operator" is a kind of...):

opportunist; self-seeker (a person who places expediency above principle)

Domain usage:

colloquialism (a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operator"):

wire-puller (one who uses secret influence (i.e. pulls wires or strings) for his own ends)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A speculator who trades aggressively on stock or commodity markets

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("operator" is a kind of...):

plunger; speculator (someone who risks losses for the possibility of considerable gains)

 Context examples 

A device problem related to the operator's technique or use environment.

(Device Operational Context Caused or Contributed to Event Evaluation Conclusion, Food and Drug Administration)

Issue associated with the means by which the operator and the equipment communicate or interact.

(Inadequate Application Program User Interface Associated with Medical Device Problem, Food and Drug Administration)

Terminology used in Individual Case Safety Reports to specify information on an operator of a medical device, section D5 of FDA MedWatch Form.

(Operator of Medical Device ICSR Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

Mastcam operators programmed the complex task list, which included pointing the rover's mast and making sure the images were in focus.

(Curiosity Mars Rover Snaps Its Highest-Resolution Panorama Yet, NASA)

Tests to determine whether a device's insulation has the strength to prevent any current from reaching the operator.

(Device Line Voltage Testing Evaluation Method, Food and Drug Administration)

We met the main European operators.

(Health threats caused by mobile phone radiation, EUROPARL TV)

The idea would be to have the astronauts control robots on the Martian surface from the moons of Mars, without the considerable time delay faced by Earth-based operators.

(Solar Eruptions Could Electrify Martian Moons, NASA)

This operator did his office after a different manner from those of his trade in Europe.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

A Boolean operator, a symbol or a function that denotes a logical operation (e.g., and, or, not).

(Logical Operator, NCI Thesaurus)

Issue associated with safety features malfunctioning in such a way that results in harm to the patient or device operator.

(Fail-Safe Mechanism Design Failure Medical Device Problem, Food and Drug Administration)