- plural of operative.
operatives
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.
Iran has seen a huge brain drain since the 1990s, and the caliber of its operatives has slipped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
"Defectors with sensitive backgrounds -- such as former intelligence operatives, diplomats or those with access to state secrets -- are typically kept separately from other arrivals."
From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026
They asked their supervisors to approve a new investigation and contemplated using undercover operatives to gather more evidence.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 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
Lyddie worked her way through the jostling crowd of operatives crossing the yard.
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
