OPERATING Synonyms: 147 Similar and Opposite Words

operating 1 of 2

adjective

ˈä-pə-ˌrā-tiŋ

Definition of operating

as in operational

being in effective operation the only operating nuclear power plant in the state

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

operating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of operate

as in handling

to control the mechanical operation of do not operate heavy machinery, including cars, after taking this medication

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in managing

to look after and make decisions about it takes years to learn how to operate that kind of business so that it makes money

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in working

to produce a desired effect the medicine will take an hour or so to operate the first time you use it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in using

to put into action or service wouldn't dream of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol

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 operating

Adjective

That sits on the books of the league’s 32 Equity investment arm, and 1/32 of any gains or losses in the entity flow through the Packers’ non-operating income. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 July 2026 True, some if the upside surprise has come from non-operating gains on holdings in huge, private AI pioneers, but not all of it. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 2 June 2026 Exxon operates some of the wells directly and holds a financial, non-operating interest in the others. — Rachel Nostrant, Houston Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2026 Last year, though revenue and operating profit increased, non-operating red ink pushed the company into a full-year loss of NT$766 million, or $25 million. — Russell Flannery, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 The main reason behind it was an increase in non-operating expenses and higher income tax in the quarter. — Trefis Team, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022

Verb

As a major bloc that has been able to apply pressure, the union has thwarted several efforts by Mamdani’s predecessors to ban the attraction, as hundreds of carriage operators make a living operating the buggies. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026 Industry participants observed a live demonstration of LGMG’s electric mining trucks operating alongside intelligent fleet dispatch, solar generation, energy storage, and ultra-fast charging infrastructure. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026 But when intelligence is operating inside a physical environment, time suddenly matters. — Tiffany Chang, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Historically, Flex has been a solid but unspectacular business, growing at a mid-single-digit pace with operating margins of around 6%. — Paul Meeks, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 The Unknown Gunmen is believed to be a group of separatists operating in southern Nigeria. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 In a process known as autotomy, the assailing bee leaves its stinger operating independently, driven by its own muscles, various glands, neural ganglia, and a venom sac. — Mike McRae 12, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2026 Centene, a $33 billion company operating Medicaid plans in 29 states alongside marketplace and Medicare Advantage coverage, serves 26 million members. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 For the first time in decades, the US 7th Fleet has no carriers operating in the Indo-Pacific. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for operating

Adjective

The effectiveness of the approach will depend on how well the systems perform under operational conditions and against evolving electronic warfare threats.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Falcon Heavy is an operational vehicle, but the fully reusable Starship remains in the test-flight phase.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of operational

Verb

Screen Queensland is on board, with Kismet distributing locally and Cornerstone handling international sales.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max push the boundaries of what mobile phones can do, such as handling on-device Siri AI calculations and running computational photography algorithms to deliver the best possible images.

— Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of handling

Verb

Positioning the commercial arm of the 100-year-old BBC for a streaming future while managing the traditional linear channels that still do great business in many international territories.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Years later, there’s still work to be done managing a film’s intellectual property rights and corporate vehicles.

— Kim Jackson, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of managing

Verb

Walsh will contribute across collection development, campaign concepts, styling, brand imagery and creative storytelling, working alongside the Rebecca Taylor team.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026
Phillips is working from a script by Jordan & Justin Shipley, creators of the TBS comedy Wrecked, with a rewrite by Phillips & frequent collaborator Gene Stupnitsky, who’s producing through his Big Name Entertainment banner.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of working

Verb

Their role becomes clear at 21-, 36- and 52-Across, where the clues solve to partial entries, which can be completed only by using the entry spaces of those dash clues.

— Sam Corbin, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026
In a small farm context, that will be to a grouping of farmers that form a producer unit using the same practices in the same climate.

— SJ Studio, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of using

Adjective

Post-operative test results to confirm whether the pope is completely cancer-free and what, if any, treatment is needed have not been released yet.

— Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
The Vatican says post-operative blood tests and a chest X-ray show no immediate complications.

— Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of operative

Verb

On the other, evidence suggests this pair of habitual time-wasters were commonly found on the floor, running laughter through a Yamaha SPX90 effects processor for kicks and strumming the same note for 40-odd minutes.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
Albert Ramdin, secretary general of the Organization of American States, also has said that candidates with criminal ties should be barred from running.

— Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of running

Verb

For ShadowMachine, Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico serve as executive producers, and Musa Brooker serves as supervising director.

— Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
The surge in profits has been driven by robust trading in stocks, bonds and currencies, fees from supervising and advising clients’ investments, underwriting initial public offerings and a pickup in mergers and acquisitions.

— John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of supervising

Browse Nearby Words

operatic

operating

operation

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Operating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operating. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of operating

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fervid

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes