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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

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Quinnell’s 1980 novel is now a seven-part thriller starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a disgraced operative protecting a child amid a criminal conspiracy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 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

This is not Madman Theory, but the operative word here—the word that doesn’t fit—is theory.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 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

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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