operate
op·er·ate/ˈɑpəɹeɪt/verb
operate is spelled O-P-E-R-A-T-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables (op·er·ate). It appears 32 times per million words in written English, the 2,992nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, operate means “To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in operate?
| Letters | 7: O-P-E-R-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: op·er·ate |
| In writing | 32 times per million words; the 2,992nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is operate?
Operate appears 32 times per million words in written English, the 2,992nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce operate?
- UK /ˈɒpəɹeɪt/
- US /ˈɑpəɹeɪt/
Operate has 3 syllables, split op·er·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-operate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of operate
- operates present, singular, he/she/it
- operating participle, present
- operated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does operate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To perform a work or labour; to exert power or strength, physical or mechanical; to act.
Could someone explain how this meeting operates?
- 2
To produce an effect.
- 3
To produce an appropriate physical effect; to issue in the result designed by nature; especially (medicine) to take appropriate effect on the human system.
- 4
To act or produce an effect on the mind; to exert moral power or influence.
- 5
To bring about as an effect; to cause.
- 6
To perform some manual act upon a human body in a methodical manner, and usually with instruments, with a view to restore soundness or health, as in amputation, lithotomy, etc.
The surgeon had to operate on her heart.
- 7
To deal in stocks or any commodity with a view to speculative profits.
- 8
To put into, or to continue in, operation or activity; to work.
to operate a machine
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Operate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | opérer, œuvrer |
| Portuguese | obrar, trabalhar , operar |
| Spanish | operar, obrar |
| German | operieren , betreiben, bedienen |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does operate come from?
From Latin operātus, perfect passive participle of operor (“to work, labor, toil, have effect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).