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.
Nobody knows what the operative principle is here.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
The investigation centered on Swalwell’s ties to a suspected intelligence operative, Christine Fang, or Fang Fang, who worked as a volunteer raising money for his congressional campaign.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026
Can you explain to us what the equal time rule actually is, how it has been operative for most of my career as a journalist, and what it’s being used to do now?
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
The inverse is also true: I am not a white supremacist, a police officer or a military operative.
From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026
She had been unmasked as a CIA operative, thereby rendering her useless as an undercover agent in the Soviet Union.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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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