operator

CEFRB2

/ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person who controls a machine or system.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A member of a military special operations unit.

Examples

  • The machine comes with a plastic guard over the blade to protect the operator.

  • Tom became good friends with the elevator operator in their hotel.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A telecommunications facilitator whose job is to connect or otherwise assist callers.

  2. A person or organisation that operates a device, system, service, etc.

  3. The game of Chinese whispers.

More examples

In context

  • Call the operator at 104 then.

  • The drone crashed because of operator error.

  • The new bus operator has promised to improve the frequency of rural services.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The polite phone blank connected my important call to the right department.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from Latin operātor, from operor (“work, labour”). Equivalent to operate + -or.