English · Word Candidate

operate

/ˈɒpəɹeɪt/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: operates · operated

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Thực hiện một công việc hoặc lao động

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

Could someone explain how this meeting operates?

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To produce an effect.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đưa ra một hiệu ứng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Verb

Examples

We live our lives in three dimensions for our threescore and ten allotted years. Yet every branch of contemporary science, from statistics to cosmology, alludes to processes that operate on scales outside of human experience: the millisecond and the nanometer, the eon and the light-year.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “operate” mean?

To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act.

Is “operate” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.