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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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Rezaei replaces Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, 72, a low-key yet longtime high-ranking intelligence operative, as secretary of the council.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 11, 2026

Some became incredible investments later, the operative word being “later.”

From MarketWatch Aug. 3, 2026

But the governor's former chief of staff and a longtime California political operative, Dana Williamson, pleaded guilty to federal charges in May over a campaign finance fraud scheme that did not implicate Newsom.

From BBC Jun. 15, 2026

“It’s certainly preferable to give all Americans the choice to invest in fast-growing tech companies, but choice is the operative word.”

From Slate Jun. 15, 2026

That was until he’d tried to sell the Jules Rimet Cup to an undercover LEP operative.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

Two alleged Libyan intelligence operatives -- Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and Al Amin Khalifa Fhimah -- were charged with the bombing and tried by a Scottish court in the Netherlands.

From Barron's Aug. 25, 2026

In Akwa Ibom state, operatives acting on credible intelligence intercepted a wooden boat on the high seas last Friday, which was heading to Cameroon, and arrested three people on board.

From BBC Aug. 24, 2026

Several similar operatives had been detained so far this year, he said, including one person from Kazakhstan.

From BBC Aug. 21, 2026

Thousands of North Korean operatives are using fake and stolen identities to land remote jobs at U.S. companies—and help fund Kim Jong Un’s regime.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 13, 2026

She said Mr. Pinkerton’s operatives would be passing them out on the street where the sea captain’s sister lives.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan




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