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.

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

Just before 7 a.m., a Benin intelligence operative took surreptitious video of five rebel armored vehicles and four pickups leaving QRF headquarters, hazard lights flashing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

One zoomer Republican operative in Washington was befuddled at how Butterworth’s had become such a destination: “A bunch of conservatives just decided it would be our place and I don’t understand why.”

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2026

The inverse is also true: I am not a white supremacist, a police officer or a military operative.

From Salon • Feb. 13, 2026

Or maybe he was a secret government operative whose mission was to befriend me and discover what I knew about the sluggers.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson