operative
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Quinnell’s 1980 novel is now a seven-part thriller starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a disgraced operative protecting a child amid a criminal conspiracy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
A U.S. special-forces operative has been charged with using classified information to reap more than $400,000 from bets on the ouster of Venezuela’s president.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
The report said Fluor was negligent in hiring an Afghan who had been a Taliban operative, and it failed to closely supervise him.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026
This is not Madman Theory, but the operative word here—the word that doesn’t fit—is theory.
From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026
Or maybe he was a secret government operative whose mission was to befriend me and discover what I knew about the sluggers.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
Vocabulary lists containing operative
100 SAT words Beginning with "O"
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Intelligence leaks
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Lincoln's Grave Robbers
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