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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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a KGB operative and then an assiduous apparatchik, he avoided attention.

From BBC • May 30, 2026

One of the first big targets was Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas’s top operative in Lebanon.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

But she misses the days of sparring with Democratic operative Donna Brazile when they were on opposing sides on CNN’s Washington set, and then went out for oysters and wine at Old Ebbitt Grill afterward.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 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

A week later, another operative from the team—No. 46—was sent to locate Brown in Ponca City, twenty-five miles northwest of Gray Horse.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann




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