How to Use operative in a Sentence

operative

1 of 2 adjective
  • The telephone system is now fully operative.
  • The factory must pass inspection before it becomes operative.
  • Could is no longer the operative word here.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Seems is the operative word here.
    — Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 29 Jan. 2026
  • And people will treat that as a must have, even when distance learning is no longer operative.
    — Heather Kelly, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2020
  • That old sort of great song that helps identify an operative culture or a moment in time.
    — Anne Steele, WSJ, 19 Jan. 2022
  • The telescope feature worked well for a pass-the-controller co-operative play.
    — Andy Robertson, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2022
  • And that in turn becomes an operative thing for the performance.
    — Jasper Marsalis, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2023
  • The graph below reveals the most valuable cycles that are operative at any one time.
    — Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 3 July 2022
  • But the operative word is delayed, not destroyed.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Fast was one of the operative words for the Seahawks where Hall was concerned.
    — Mark Inabinett | [email protected], al, 29 Apr. 2023
  • Always bring a full list of your supplements to your pre-operative visit.
    — Ayesha Gulzar, Verywell Health, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The operative word being try, because so far this postseason home teams have tried and mostly come up short.
    — Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 1 May 2023
  • This is only one cycle, the one-year cycle, whereas there are many cycles operative at any one time.
    — Bill Sarubbi, Forbes, 3 July 2022
  • The operative word here is fairly as opposed to mean-spirited.
    — Mike Masterson, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2020
  • Austin Slater played unlikely hero to launch the second half, launch being the operative word.
    — Susan Slusser, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 July 2021
  • Hammered is the operative word.
    — Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The date of the first transaction will determine which version of the law will be operative for the base-year transfer.
    — Kathleen Pender, SFChronicle.com, 17 Oct. 2020
  • Pieces, like the shards of rock left at Ford Stadium, being the operative word.
    — Dallas News, 27 July 2022
  • This is the operative reason the wrapper matters.
    — Joel Shulman, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
  • Intent is the operative word that defines genocide.
    — Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The operative word is controlled because asthma is mostly because of spasms of the breathing tubes.
    — Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2020
  • The Court docketed the two-count true bill as the operative indictment.
    — Jacob Rosen, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Patients have to spend a lot of time in a hospital and prepare for operative risks and complications.
    — Julia Ries, Health.com, 7 Apr. 2022
  • Also, the operative note didn’t say when Hanabergh wrote or dictated it.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
  • When dealing with out-of-town guests during a pandemic, safety becomes the operative word.
    — Brooke Henderson, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2020
  • Balance is again the operative word in terms of interior design.
    — David Moin, Footwear News, 9 Dec. 2025
  • Now that the standards are operative, strip searches stand to cause even more legal problems for jurisdictions that use them.
    — Chandra Bozelko, Quartz, 31 Oct. 2019
  • And with knee surgeries, rehab is most important in the early stages of post-operative recovery.
    — Jeff Fedotin, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
  • For others, joining a solar co-operative is an option that could open the door for more citizens to the benefits of sun power.
    — University Of Houston Energy Fellows, Forbes, 14 Sep. 2021

operative

2 of 2 noun
  • CIA operatives take terrible risks to find out the secrets of foreign countries.
  • But some operatives say Newsom can’t push too hard or do too much.
    — Amie Parnes, The Hill, 12 Aug. 2025
  • In the first part of the mission, the operatives don full scuba gear.
    — Sarah Parvini, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2023
  • The operative argues there’s still a class of mega donors who are waiting to be won over.
    — Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2025
  • The operatives take the drives and release Jane, who is bruised and bloodied.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
  • An operative would normally plan to walk alone to a hotel room to avoid being seen with an asset.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Jayson is not entirely thrilled that two of his operatives are dead and their child, Sam, is missing.
    — Grace Byron, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Democratic operatives are well aware of that.
    — John Seiler, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
  • The last Hamas operatives are hiding.
    — Itay Stern, NPR, 14 Aug. 2025
  • At least for now, operatives agree there aren’t many downsides for Democrats in terms of standing their ground on the shutdown.
    — Amie Parnes, The Hill, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Leonard Leo, who is a common operative between the two, runs another dozen or so front groups.
    — Nbc Universal, NBC News, 28 May 2023
  • These were political operatives dressed up in white coats.
    — David Blumenthal, STAT, 24 Mar. 2026
  • One of those operatives was none other than Mencho’s brother.
    — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 24 Feb. 2026
  • One of those operatives was none other than Mencho’s brother.
    — Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Democrats equated the salary to Lincoln’s working as a party operative.
    — Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 19 Dec. 2025
  • Her background as a political operative is to her benefit — knowing how to bend laws and politicians to your will is part of the role.
    — Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Israel estimates the unit’s strength at thousands of operatives.
    — Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Democrats — from donors to operatives and other lawmakers — have taken notice.
    — Amie Parnes, The Hill, 28 Aug. 2025
  • In the thermal view, the video highlights a group of what appears to be four operatives throwing two objects which explode just seconds after.
    — Greg Wehner, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
  • A lot of these operatives are operating from civilian areas.
    — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
  • Some other Mayday operative will swing by the diner to pick Daisy up soon, June informs her.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
  • The operatives, mostly men and women in their late twenties, sat in a circle in the spartan safe house with a single, small light and no furniture.
    — Jason Burke, Time, 27 Feb. 2026
  • Daniel uses it to threaten the operatives, recover the backpack, and stage-manage their escape.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 16 June 2026
  • But operatives in both parties believe Democrats have a real chance to claim a Senate seat here for the first time in nearly four decades.
    — Steve Peoples, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Local intelligence operatives told them that at least three of their neighbors had denounced them to the Russians.
    — Valerie Hopkins Emile Ducke, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2023
  • The musketeer names are code names so that these resistance operatives can keep their real identities secret.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
  • These target banks are filled with the names, faces, or voices of potential operatives marked for assassination.
    — Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Democratic operatives are calling on members of their party to hold the line despite some pressure to cave and vote to reopen the government.
    — Jared Gans, The Hill, 2 Oct. 2025
  • His phone buzzed constantly as activists, donors and campaign operatives rushed to get an early read on the high-stakes Senate race in Texas.
    — Gromer Jeffers Jr. political, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026
  • For a long time, political operatives believed that Biden’s fortunes were tied to the economy.
    — Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'operative.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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