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operative

[op-er-uh-tiv, op-ruh-tiv, op-uh-rey-tiv] / ˈɒp ər ə tɪv, ˈɒp rə tɪv, ˈɒp əˌreɪ tɪv /


Example Sentences

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Some became incredible investments later, the operative word being “later.”

From MarketWatch Aug. 3, 2026

Like any political operative, he had his share of defeats.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 26, 2026

A former operative recounts her time in the world of left-wing political consulting.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 22, 2026

They would simply make unmistakably clear that the executive cannot determine whether Congress’ statutory commands ever become operative by controlling the very event that activates them.

From Slate Jun. 26, 2026

He’d been an operative in Southeast Asia until a bullet lodged in his right knee and ended his career as a field agent.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Nineteen Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked four planes on that nearly cloudless day in 2001.

From Barron's Sep. 7, 2026

But some staff on the Commission were not convinced of Bayoumi's innocence, and thought it likely he knew Hazmi and Mihdhar were al Qaeda operatives.

From BBC Sep. 7, 2026

Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play veteran CIA operatives who, after helping destabilize Salvador Allende’s government in 1973 Chile, head to Easter Island on a more personal assignment.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 3, 2026

Several similar operatives had been detained so far this year, he said, including one person from Kazakhstan.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

The Agency was still smaller than its Russian counterpart, and its agents had to train hard to learn the techniques of spycraft—which Soviet operatives had been mastering for decades.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau




Vocabulary lists containing operative


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