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.

Since the October cease-fire, the task force has been reduced to a handful of operatives who track targets and pass along information to the military command responsible for operations in Gaza.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Africa Command, which oversees the military’s Somalia operations, said in announcing the February 2025 strike that “approximately 14 ISIS-Somalia operatives were killed and no civilians were harmed.”

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

The Sunday raid was at least the third time this year that CIA operatives joined authorities in the northern border state of Chihuahua in an operation against a drug target, the sources said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

Indeed, the data suggest Washington has concluded there has been a “good enough”—if unsatisfying—almost-conclusion to the conflict against al-Qaida, even as Washington continues to kill or capture its operatives abroad.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2026

That same year, CIA operatives made contact with a senior official in the Soviet Foreign Ministry who was stationed at the Russian embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.

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