operationalop‧e‧ra‧tion‧al /ˌɒpəˈreɪʃənəl◂ $ ˌɑːp-/ ●○○ adjective 
The boat should be operational by this afternoon. The new system became operational in March. Our main offices are now fully operational. → operative1(1)2[only before noun] relating to the operation of a business, government etc: Patco accepted full responsibility for operational management.—operationally adverb
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- At least eight countries are known to have operational nuclear weapons.
- the bank's operational budget
- The satellite is expected to be operational by next week.
- The terminal is fully operational and airlines will begin using it next week.
- In education operational time scales tend to be longer than commercial ones, certainly so far as joint projects are concerned.
- It has, today, been adapted to measure the effectiveness of operational research.
- Lothian Region and Edinburgh District councils are expected to approve the scheme next month and it could be operational within 18 months.
- Nor will they instruct you about specific strategic, organizational, or operational choices peculiar to your own organization.
- Once the country's largest dry ski-slope is fully operational it is hoped to offer up to 70 part-time jobs to experienced skiers.
- The budget is an operational statement in monetary terms.
- The major affective constructions during the stage of formal operations build on those of the concrete operational stage.
- This provides us with a very operational view concerning these matters.
Longman Language Activatorto not work hard enough
if a machine or piece of equipment works or is working , it can be used without any problems because there is nothing wrong with it: · Does the old tape recorder still work?· We had to go to the laundromat because the washing-machine wasn't working.work fine/be working fine: · We tested the cable and it seems to be working fine.work well/be working well: · The new computers seem to work perfectly well, despite everyone's worries.
if something is in working order , it is working well and safely, especially because it has been well-cared for: · The mill was built in the 16th century and is still in working order.be in good/perfect/top working order: · The guns were all clean and in good working order.· As far as he could tell the engine was in perfect working order.
British spoken /run American spoken to be working properly - use this especially about a car, clock, or watch: · I dropped my watch, but it's still going.· I don't mind what kind of car we rent as long as it runs.
to be working well and without any problems - use this about computers or systems: · As soon as the new computer system is up and running, we can transfer our records onto it.· The new hiring process should be up and running by the end of the year.
a place, system, or large piece of machinery that is operational is working and ready to be used at any time: · At least eight countries are known to have operational nuclear weapons.fully operational: · The terminal is fully operational and airlines will begin using it next week.
especially British also on-line American a new system or large piece of machinery that is on-stream or on-line , is ready to be used - used especially in business: · All the oil refineries in the region are now back on-stream.come on-stream/on-line: · Another nuclear reactor is scheduled to come on-line in January.bring something on-stream/on-line: · With so much money in grants, we need to start thinking now about the projects we want to bring on-stream.
WORD SETSadmin, nounadministration, nounadministrative, adjectiveadministrator, nounagency, nounagent, nounbalance sheet, nounbazaar, nounbid, nounbid, verbbig business, nounbook value, nounboss, nounbottom line, nounbranch, nouncapacity, nouncapital, nouncapital assets, nouncapital gains, nouncapital goods, nouncapital-intensive, adjectivecapitalist, nouncard, nouncentralize, verbcompetitiveness, nounconsultancy, nouncontract, nouncontract, verbcost-effective, adjectivecoupon, nouncritical path, noundecentralize, verbdeveloper, noundistiller, noundistributor, noundiversify, verbdownsize, verbeconomics, nounenterprise, nounentrepreneur, nounestablishment, nounfashion, nounfly-by-night, adjectivefold, verbfoodstuff, nounform letter, nounfranchise, verbfranchisee, noungazump, verbgearing, noungeneric, adjectiveget, verbhard sell, nounhaute couture, nounhigh season, nounhigh technology, nounhike, nounhike, verbloss, nounlow-tech, adjectivemaximize, verbMD, nounmerchandise, verbmerchandising, nounmerger, nounmiddleman, nounmiller, nounmission statement, nounmom-and-pop, adjectivemoneygrabbing, adjectivemoneymaker, noun-monger, suffixmonopolistic, adjectivemonopoly, nounnet, adjectivenet, verbniche, nounoff-the-peg, adjectiveopening time, nounoperation, nounoperational, adjectiveoperator, nounoption, nounoutlay, nounoutlet, nounoutput, nounoutwork, nounoverhead, nounoverstock, verbpackage, nounpartner, nounpartnership, nounpatent, nounpayola, nounpercentage, nounpiracy, nounpremium, nounprivate practice, nounprivatization, nounprivatize, verbprofitability, nounproprietor, nounproprietress, nounpurchase price, nounpurchasing power, nounquiet, adjectiveR & D, nounrate of return, nounrecall, verbreject, nounrep, nounresearch and development, nounrestrictive practices, nounrevenue, nounsell, verbservice industry, nounsleeping partner, nounspeculate, verbspeculation, nounspeculative, adjectivestreet value, nounsubtotal, nounswap meet, nounsweatshop, nounsyndicate, nounsystems analyst, nountake, nountender, nountie-up, nounTM, transact, verbtransaction, nounturnover, nounundersell, verbuneconomic, adjectiveunit, noununprofitable, adjectivevideo conferencing, nounwatchdog, nounwheeler-dealer, nounwheeling and dealing, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY The new system became operational in March. Our main offices are now fully operational.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
The new system became operational in March. Our main offices are now fully operational. (=the efficiency with which a machine or system works)· The computer can process this information quickly, without any loss of operating efficiency.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Once the country's largest dry ski-slope is fully operational it is hoped to offer up to 70 part-time jobs to experienced skiers.· Implementation would take at least six months, culminating in fully operational work-unit teams.· Once fully operational, they should process 3,000 tons of effluent a day.· What had to be sacrificed was time, since it would be years before the shuttle would be fully operational.· Once the system is fully operational, then one may consider moving to an in-house installation if the economies are worthwhile.· It is to be fully operational by mid-2003.· The muscles had been fully stimulated during the growth period and Ewan had supposed they'd be fully operational immediately.· The new office in Campbell plans to have 45 real estate agents when fully operational.
NOUN· IC1 acts as the input buffer stage, and it is a simple operational amplifier non-inverting mode circuit.· Note that the saturation potential differences are close to the supply e.m.f.s biasing the operational amplifier.· Differentiators based on operational amplifiers do not suffer from drift.
· To get to their proposed operational area the convoy had to take a difficult route.· He was carefully tactful about his appearance in the ship's operational areas.
· Customers of other banks will have more securities, fewer bank deposits and their banks will have fewer operational balances.· The clearing banks, in addition, hold at the Bank whatever operational balances they deem necessary.· Remember though that each bank was able to lend only by running down operational balances in order to make advances.· It would gain deposits, matched exactly of course by additional operational balances.· The bankers' deposits item in the balance sheet refers to the cash ratio and operational balances of the banks.
· It contrasts with the information needs for operational control which are well defined, detailed and accurate.· The Special Branch, on the other hand, was under G-2 and was principally an analytical organization with no operational control.· The knowledge workers in the insurance company were responsible for processing this mass of data to maintain operational control of the business.· Vice President Rutskoi was named head of an operational control centre.· The Tory back-benchers could take some comfort from the argument that it was operational control rather than manufacture of the weapons that mattered.
· At least eight other such agencies that simply needed money for operational costs were denied funds.
· Not surprisingly, this approach met with formidable operational difficulties.· It does, however, present a number of operational difficulties that require basic research before it can be widely used.· Both speech and handwriting recognisers suffer from operational difficulties.· For speech recognition the principal operational difficulty to be faced is the interference to the acoustic signal from background noise.· These are variability, segmentation and operational difficulties.· There are certain operational difficulties associated with speech recognition.
· The narrower is this spread, the greater will be the operational efficiency of the market.
· The assessment relies largely on a combination of operational experience and professional judgement.· Stoddard operational experience is second to none, maintaining their position as world leaders in Bonded Technology.
· The quantity of operational information in the industrial assurance enterprise was vast.· In principle, now that operational information is largely electronic, it could be preserved in electronic form in its totality.· Percentages, accounting ratios and averages are helpful in presenting the operational information in a simple manner.· In the case of operational information, however, this is no longer necessarily nor universally true.
· The bottom level, the operational level, involves aspects such as maintaining road position and the use of the car controls.· At the formal operational level, internal reflection can result in new knowledge-new construction.· At the concrete operational level, efforts are more systematic but not fully so.· At the operational level, the Centre has produced a Manual of Sampling practice, to be published during 1986.· Tackle crime and disorder problems: inter-agency, partnership approaches are essential here at both the strategic and operational level.
· It briefly considers the prospects for extending the operational life of obsolete systems through physical restoration as well as logical simulation.· At best such ventures can extend the operational life of obsolete systems.
· This would appear to legitimise his interference in operational matters in appropriate cases.· The implementation of section 39 is an operational matter for the chief constable.
· She will be responsible for overseeing strategic and operational plans.· No change, however, was made in the operational plan.· This amount of effort will require the allocation of finance with a high priority in operational plans.· Various recommendations were advanced for making changes in the operational plan, but for the most part they got nowhere.
· Formal guidelines covering team objectives and operational policies were at a minimum in 1982.· Thus, many community mental handicap teams have devised absurdly ambitious operational policies which attempt to do all things for all persons.· The teams have similar operational policies, including an open referral system, and accept cases from a wide range of agencies.· Setting - Two community psychogeriatric teams with similar operational policies in an inner London health district.
· Fortunately, the practical operational problems were addressed in the next important report to be published.· Forty-four percent listed subcontractor quality and pricing as the most significant operational problem or challenge.· The operational problems of the previous 20 years legitimized comparatively limited increases in worker control and attendant changes to the management function.· Due to the nature of our operations short-notice alterations had to be made to our notified programme because of weather or operational problems.· Discussions deal with the co-ordination of activities and the settlement of operational problems on an adhoc basis.
· All hauliers audited for safety and operational procedures.· Such recordings would enable them to monitor the effectiveness of certain maintenance and operational procedures by means of automatic read-out and computerised analysis.· Of course, these strivings to realize organizational goals may become crystallized in standard operational procedures.· They will need clear and concise operational procedures to be written.
· Agreeing operational requirements is the first and most tiresome obstacle.· Not many companies can afford the high cost of entry or meet the stringent operational requirements.· Designing the information systems project around management needs may, however, ignore the operational requirements.· To fulfil operational requirements as well may lead to data being collected, validated and stored more than once.· These systems have proved capable of meeting the specified operational requirements on a variety of fires in different categories of combustibles.· The structure of the Group has altered radically to accommodate its changing operational requirements.
· It has, today, been adapted to measure the effectiveness of operational research.· Graduates often enter other professions such as those of the actuary, accountant, and operational research scientist.· In 1941 Williams became director of operational research at Coastal Command.
· Tie a length of cord to each of the lowest rings, placing the shortest length nearest the operational side.· Similarly on the operational side, separate investigators can pursue different subjects.· In the early seventies an interesting development on our operational side was the emergence of illegal immigrant running by sea.· It clearly felt that the police authority should have no control over general policy or the operational side of police work.
· Their solution was of course a key objective of the Powick project, which was still at an early operational stage in 1979.· The major affective constructions during the stage of formal operations build on those of the concrete operational stage.· Operations become truly logical during the concrete operational stage.
· The idea that a baseline need only be established immediately prior to delivery of an operational system is considered to be unsound.· Benefits from operational systems can be measured, although not easily and not many organisations carry out thorough evaluations.· An operational System should be able to forecast, detect and react to dangerous pollution levels within a short period.· We will wish to introduce clear guidance and operational systems to expedite this as soon as possible.· The operational system appeared, to a certain extent, to be fairly regulated with highly structured and defined job descriptions.
· Whereas concrete operational thought is logical thought, it is restricted to the concrete world.· Concrete operational thought is reversible thought.· The transformation from the latter part of preoperational thought to early concrete operational thought is not an abrupt one.
WORD FAMILYnounoperationcooperationoperativecooperativeoperatoradjectiveoperationaloperativecooperative ≠ uncooperativeverboperatecooperateadverboperationallycooperatively
1[not before noun] working and ready to be used: The boat should be operational by this afternoon. The new system became operational in March. Our main offices are now fully operational. → operative1(1)2[only before noun] relating to the operation of a business, government etc: Patco accepted full responsibility for operational management.—operationally adverb