operatorop‧e‧ra‧tor /ˈɒpəreɪtə $ ˈɑːpəreɪtər/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable] 
Hello, operator? Could you put me through to Room 31?2someone who operates a machine or piece of equipmentmachine/computer/radio etc operator computers which can be used by untrained operators3a person or company that operates a particular business: new regulations affecting taxi operators Julian travelled with Caribbean Connection, the UK's leading Caribbean tour operator (=company that arranges holidays). a private operator running regular passenger services4someone who is good at achieving things by persuading people to help or agree with them: Monsieur Valentin was a formidable political operator. He may not look it, but Newman is a smooth operator (=someone who is good at persuading people but who you feel you cannot trust).
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a day-care center operator.
- a political operator
- a tour operator
- an elevator operator
- Dial "0" to get the operator.
- By the same token, cinemas had no operators, and so few halls remained open.
- Keith, a general operator at Associated Octel's plant in Ellesmere Port, is thrilled to see his brother back home.
- Life insurers and nursing home operators plot their own windfalls.
- The boat will then by put to the test by operators and their views canvassed.
- The system provides operators with detailed real-time analysis of the status of all of their fleets.
- When the end of the column was over the steel baseplate, the crane operator lowered it slowly into position.
WORD SETS
admin, 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 computers which can be used by untrained operators Julian travelled with Caribbean Connection, the UK's leading Caribbean tour operator (=company that arranges holidays). a private operator running regular passenger services He may not look it, but Newman is a smooth operator (=someone who is good at persuading people but who you feel you cannot trust).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES George is a smooth operator (=someone who does things in a smooth way).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
computers which can be used by untrained operators Julian travelled with Caribbean Connection, the UK's leading Caribbean tour operator (=company that arranges holidays). a private operator running regular passenger services He may not look it, but Newman is a smooth operator (=someone who is good at persuading people but who you feel you cannot trust). (=company that provides cruises)
George is a smooth operator (=someone who does things in a smooth way).· Here are the big time smooth operators.· The group, Britain's biggest coach operator, employs 1,000 people and carries 12m passengers a year.· The big fleet operators get the biggest discounts - putting the dealers under pressure to maintain higher prices for private buyers.· I was able to sell out quite profitably to one of the bigger air-freight operators.
· Chemical engineering companies found that their very large complex expensive process plants could be controlled better by computer than by human operators.· Some months ago, they stopped relying on human operators to do so.· The unique feature of ergonomics is its emphasis on the characteristics of human operators and their relevance to the design of work.· It is of the utmost importance that it is the mind of the human operator doing the selecting.· Thus it follows that skill training is more generalised and generalisable and is better fitted to the overall role of human operators.· Traditional methods of determining such risks have limitations: human operators can become tired and can be distracted.· In these terms, the human operator is a particular sub-system.· The human operator has very little or no control over the format or content of the output produced by the computer.
· Crime certainly pays for the largest private prison operator in the country.· Continental has 346, 000 subscribers throughout the region and is the largest cable operator in Los Angeles.· Verio is the world's largest operator of Web sites for businesses and a leading provider of comprehensive Internet services.
· For instance, long-distance and local telephone operators are laying new high-speed fiber optic links to the home.· It has become such an attraction that local tour operators are beating a path to its door.· The local operators manage the bread and butter chores of poster production and display, media buys and the like.· He even finds himself giving out gardening advice to local radio operators from his car.
· Ski start: the major tour operators run learn to ski weeks which are especially useful for lone learners.· Discussions are being held with a major cable operator.· In addition, many major tour operators include tours of Far Eastern islands in their long-haul programmes.· But major theater operators think Bay Area filmgoers may be ready to switch.· Significant contracts were also undertaken for Total, Amoco, Marathon and other major operators.
· Dimension Data rose 4.1 per cent to R52.90 while mobile phone operator M-Cell jumped 76.6 per cent to R26.65.· Specifically, the company licenses network diagnosis software to mobile handset operators and network operators.· The popularity of text messaging has delivered an unlikely windfall for mobile phone network operators.· But analysts said it could be a target for a media company, internet portal or mobile phone operator seeking content.
· When railway travelling commenced, Mr Wright was wiser than many other coach operators.· What advantages will they and the other operators get out of it?· Marathon and other operators were also undertaken during the year.· They are unlikely to welcome other rail operators creaming off their business.· Significant contracts were also undertaken for Total, Amoco, Marathon and other major operators.
· Will the investment in new wagons be justified by private operators or leasing companies given the uncertainty of the market?· Crime certainly pays for the largest private prison operator in the country.· Get private operators on the railway and everything will work just fine.· The brief experience of Stagecoach, the only private operator running regular passenger services, has been mixed.· Nearly all Britain's hazardous waste is handled by private operators.· But private operators can turn profits only if prices rise radically and rapidly.· One of them, set up by six private operators, runs 80 cinemas that meet international standards.· Fifteen states have passed laws enabling private operators to run roads and railways: the state of Washington did so last month.
· A complex dedicated simulator can cost several million pounds and it needs its own crew of skilled operators.· The skilled operator will aim for efficient performance.
· In that event, smaller operators stretched to meet margin calls might suffer.· But it also is threatening the livelihoods of many small business operators in San Diego and elsewhere.· Most active construction is coming from the smaller chains and operators like Quality Inns.· The experience of those small business operators, shared with me in understandable confidentiality, is by no means unique.· Plenty of small operators remain to be gobbled up by big ones able to meet the capital and research costs now required.· Compared with the small operators they took over, the giant companies deal with a wide range of rubbish.· On something of a buying binge lately and snapping up smaller cable operators, Cogeco is itself seen as a takeover target.· At the same time, small operators have been disappearing.
· Behind the scenes ... chaos ... smooth operators ... and hairdressers everywhere.· He was then a smooth operator.· Here are the big time smooth operators.· He may not look it, but he is a smooth operator.
NOUN· Raids on farms were also reported and public transport was paralysed in the capital, Lima, as bus operators withdrew services.· Councillors have already held talks with the town's bus operators with a view to reducing the number of vehicles using the centre.· Sparsity of population in some rural counties of Britain can create considerable problems for bus operators.· It is intended that this be jointly developed by the Council, the Police and the Region's bus operators.
· On something of a buying binge lately and snapping up smaller cable operators, Cogeco is itself seen as a takeover target.· This constraint will fade over the next few years as more cable operators upgrade their systems and add more services.· Continental has 346, 000 subscribers throughout the region and is the largest cable operator in Los Angeles.· And cable operators are doing all they can to get the government to prevent phone companies from carrying video programming.· Discussions are being held with a major cable operator.· A cable system has two types of customers-advertisers and consumers who subscribe to a package of programming offered by the cable operator.· Eye on People is struggling to persuade cable operators to carry it.
· It wasn't musicians making music, it was computer operators.· Susan was twenty-two, a computer operator in a large mirror company in an industrial park near their apartment.· Now he's a computer operator with a firm of designers.· Charman returned to Brighton and took several temporary jobs before finding permanent work as a computer operator with the Inland Revenue.
· Originally from Ireland, he worked as a machine operator until he was 83.· It was one thing to tell a machine operator he or she had no choice about being measured.· At this stage the typical machine operator manipulated machine controls on the basis of data presented on instruments.· They never discussed with machine operators or engineers how the equipment was maintained.· A working-class housewife married to a machine operator declares: Housework is boring.· The machine operator she replaced is unemployed and too old to be re-skilled.· Example Alan employs Brian as a machine operator.· The biggest jumps in participation rates were recorded by workers under age 44, minorities, machine operators and laborers.
· Specifically, the company licenses network diagnosis software to mobile handset operators and network operators.· In theory, network operators could target consumers with advertising, but this would raise technical and privacy issues not easily resolved.· Anite provides testing solutions for network operators, and has invested heavily in both acquisitions and research and development in this area.· The fear of pending competition has forced network operators to spend heavily on upgrades.· The popularity of text messaging has delivered an unlikely windfall for mobile phone network operators.· At present, wide disparities remain among different network operators in terms of both efficiency and pricing.· Aimed at network operators and telecommunications providers, the resulting products are intended to enable them introduce new value-added services and products.· Standard Insurance Company, for example, placed students with employees ranging from lawyers to accountants to computer network operators.
· Dimension Data rose 4.1 per cent to R52.90 while mobile phone operator M-Cell jumped 76.6 per cent to R26.65.· But analysts said it could be a target for a media company, internet portal or mobile phone operator seeking content.
· He began to receive messages purporting to come from his deceased friend, who had been a radio operator.· Everybody was shook but especially the other radio operator and myself.· If the radio operator kept his mouth shut, the transgression might not get to the ears of his superiors.· Back at bomber command, the radio operator received the distress call.· He even finds himself giving out gardening advice to local radio operators from his car.· At 1.20 a.m. the ferry's radio operator sent out the first Mayday call.
· One switchboard operator said that at this moment in time she didn't know.· He went back to your hotel and had a very interesting chat with the switchboard operator.· The switchboard operator rang an extension.· He asked the switchboard operator to connect him with Whitely Prison and waited.· Finally they informed me that they had a position open for switchboard operators.· I'd ring them up to complain but I'd never get past the switchboard operator before it stopped working again.· Nevertheless, Levi is offering Opto Plus a switchboard operator and plenty of free jeans.
· Omar had bribed the telephone operator to leave his office, but I did not trust him to stay away.· I also remember talking to live telephone operators.· He heard Mrs Hassock's voice from below - she was obviously responding to the telephone operator.· Women worked as schoolteachers, secretaries, clerks or telephone operators.· Former telephone operators fitted the bill perfectly - They're naturals' claimed Mr Irwin.· For instance, long-distance and local telephone operators are laying new high-speed fiber optic links to the home.· For example, customer enquiries and correspondence can be scanned into the computer system on receipt, or entered by the telephone operator.· A high percentage of telephone operators are black, for example, but only a very small proportion of dental hygienists are.
· Responsible tour operators have recognized the problem and are doing all in their power to stop it.· Do not buy a policy from the wholesale tour operator from which you bought your trip.· It would be no good us offering just tour operator packages.· Need help in checking on the reliability of a travel agency or tour operator?· And resorts, tour operators and shops can not afford to advertise if they are on the breadline.· These should be confirmed with travel agents or tour operators.· Euro Disney claims that one of its tour operators has sold 70 percent of its first three months of Euro Disney allocations.
VERB· To do that, however, you would have to allow the operators to advertise.· The most significant thing about the system is that it allows the operator to lay out pages on the screen.· Status would allow operators to see at a glance which items of safety-related equipment were in proper working order.
· It requires concentration by the operator but, again, I would not let the speaker do it himself.
WORD FAMILYnounoperationcooperationoperativecooperativeoperatoradjectiveoperationaloperativecooperative ≠ uncooperativeverboperatecooperateadverboperationallycooperatively
1someone who works on a telephone switchboard, who you can call for help: Hello, operator? Could you put me through to Room 31?2someone who operates a machine or piece of equipmentmachine/computer/radio etc operator computers which can be used by untrained operators3a person or company that operates a particular business: new regulations affecting taxi operators Julian travelled with Caribbean Connection, the UK's leading Caribbean tour operator (=company that arranges holidays). a private operator running regular passenger services4someone who is good at achieving things by persuading people to help or agree with them: Monsieur Valentin was a formidable political operator. He may not look it, but Newman is a smooth operator (=someone who is good at persuading people but who you feel you cannot trust).