OPERATION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does operation mean? 

• OPERATION (noun)
  The noun OPERATION has 11 senses:

1. the state of being in effect or being operative

2. a business especially one run on a large scale

3. a planned activity involving many people performing various actions

4. (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)

5. activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)

6. a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body

7. a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work

8. process or manner of functioning or operating

9. (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents

10. (mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods

11. the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.)

  Familiarity information: OPERATION used as a noun is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• OPERATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being in effect or being operative

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

that rule is no longer in operation

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

action; activeness; activity (the state of being active)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

commission (the state of being in good working order and ready for operation)

running (the state of being in operation)

idle (the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling)

Derivation:

operate (keep engaged)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A business especially one run on a large scale

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

they had to consolidate their operations

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

business activity; commercial activity (activity undertaken as part of a commercial enterprise)

Derivation:

operate (direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A planned activity involving many people performing various actions

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

consolidate the companies various operations

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

rescue operation (an operation organized to free from danger or confinement)

sting; sting operation (operation designed to catch a person committing a criminal act)

undercover operation (an operation involving secret work within a community or institution)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Context example:

it can perform millions of operations per second

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

data processing ((computer science) a series of operations on data by a computer in order to retrieve or transform or classify information)

Domain category:

computer science; computing (the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

access; memory access ((computer science) the operation of reading or writing stored information)

asynchronous operation (operations that occur without a regular or predictable time relation to other events)

auxiliary operation; off-line operation (a operation performed by off-line equipment not under the control of the central processing unit)

binary arithmetic operation; binary operation; boolean operation (an operation that follows the rules of Boolean algebra; each operand and the result take one of two values)

computer operation; machine operation (an elementary operation that a computer is designed and built to perform)

concurrent operation (two or more operations performed at the same time (or within a give interval))

control function; control operation (an operation that controls the recording or processing or transmission of interpretation of data)

dyadic operation (an operation on exactly two operands)

fixed-cycle operation (an operation that is completed in a specified number of regularly timed execution cycles)

logic operation; logical operation (an operation that follows the rules of symbolic logic)

monadic operation; unary operation (an operation with exactly one operand)

multiplex operation (an operation in which two or more activities are interleaved)

parallel operation; simultaneous operation (the simultaneous execution of two or more operations)

printing operation (an operation that controls the printing or display of information)

lookup; search (an operation that determines whether one or more of a set of items has a specified property)

consecutive operation; sequential operation; serial operation (the sequential execution of operations one after another)

sort; sorting (an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion)

synchronous operation (operations that are initiated predictably by a clock)

threshold operation (an operation performed on operands in order to obtain the value of a threshold function)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

military operation; operation

Context example:

it was a joint operation of the navy and air force

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Domain category:

armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

combined operation (a military operation carried out cooperatively by two or more allied nations or a military operation carried out by coordination of sea, land, and air forces)

maneuver; manoeuvre; simulated military operation (a military training exercise)

campaign; military campaign (several related operations aimed at achieving a particular goal (usually within geographical and temporal constraints))

naval campaign (an operation conducted primarily by naval forces in order to gain or extend or maintain control of the sea)

military mission; mission (an operation that is assigned by a higher headquarters)

reenforcement; reinforcement; support (a military operation (often involving new supplies of men and materiel) to strengthen a military force or aid in the performance of its mission)

attack; onrush; onset; onslaught ((military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons))

offence; offense; offensive (the action of attacking an enemy)

peacekeeping; peacekeeping mission; peacekeeping operation (the activity of keeping the peace by military forces (especially when international military forces enforce a truce between hostile groups or nations))

amphibious operation (a military operation by both land and sea forces)

information gathering (the act of collecting information)

psychological operation; psyop (military actions designed to influence the perceptions and attitudes of individuals, groups, and foreign governments)

covert operation (an intelligence operation so planned as to permit plausible denial by the sponsor)

Instance hyponyms:

Argonne; Argonne Forest; Meuse; Meuse-Argonne; Meuse-Argonne operation; Meuse River (an American operation in World War I (1918); American troops under Pershing drove back the German armies which were saved only by the armistice on November 11)

Operation Desert Storm (the United States and its allies defeated Iraq in a ground war that lasted 100 hours (1991))

Derivation:

operate (perform a movement in military or naval tactics in order to secure an advantage in attack or defense)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

operation; surgery; surgical operation; surgical procedure; surgical process

Context example:

he died while undergoing surgery

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

medical procedure (a procedure employed by medical or dental practitioners)

Meronyms (parts of "operation"):

haemostasia; haemostasis; hemostasia; hemostasis (surgical procedure of stopping the flow of blood (as with a hemostat))

incision; section; surgical incision (the cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation))

suturing (surgical joining of two surfaces)

Domain category:

surgery (the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures)

Domain member category:

freeze (anesthetize by cold)

suction (empty or clean (a body cavity) by the force of suction)

decorticate (remove the cortex of (an organ))

ablate (remove an organ or bodily structure)

hypophysectomise; hypophysectomize (remove the pituitary glands)

trepan (cut a hole with a trepan, as in surgery)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

catheterisation; catheterization (the operation of introducing a catheter into the body)

ablation; cutting out; excision; extirpation (surgical removal of a body part or tissue)

amputation (a surgical removal of all or part of a limb)

angioplasty (an operation to repair a damaged blood vessel or unblock a coronary artery)

arthroplasty (surgical reconstruction or replacement of a malformed or degenerated joint)

arthroscopy (a minimally invasive operation to repair a damaged joint; the surgeon examines the joint with an arthroscope while making repairs through a small incision)

brain surgery (any surgical procedure involving the brain)

castration (surgical removal of the testes or ovaries (usually to inhibit hormone secretion in cases of breast cancer in women or prostate cancer in men))

cauterisation; cauterization; cautery (the act of coagulating blood and destroying tissue with a hot iron or caustic agent or by freezing)

chemosurgery (use of chemical to destroy diseased or malignant tissue; used in treatment of skin cancer)

craniotomy (a surgical opening through the skull)

cryosurgery (the use of extreme cold (usually liquid nitrogen) to destroy unwanted tissue (warts or cataracts or skin cancers))

curettage; curettement (surgery to remove tissue or growths from a bodily cavity (as the uterus) by scraping with a curette)

debridement (surgical removal of foreign material and dead tissue from a wound in order to prevent infection and promote healing)

decortication (removal of the outer covering of an organ or part)

D and C; dilatation and curettage; dilation and curettage (a surgical procedure usually performed under local anesthesia in which the cervix is dilated and the endometrial lining of the uterus is scraped with a curet; performed to obtain tissue samples or to stop prolonged bleeding or to remove small tumors or to remove fragments of placenta after childbirth or as a method of abortion)

electrosurgery (surgery performed with electrical devices (as in electrocautery))

enterostomy; enterotomy (surgical operation that creates a permanent opening through the abdominal wall into the intestine)

enucleation (surgical removal of something without cutting into it)

wrong-site surgery (a surgical operation performed on the wrong part of the body)

evisceration (surgical removal of an organ (or the contents of an organ) from a patient)

exenteration (surgical removal of the organs within a body cavity (as those of the pelvis))

eye operation; eye surgery (any surgical procedure involving the eyes)

fenestration (surgical procedure that creates a new fenestra to the cochlea in order to restore hearing lost because of osteosclerosis)

gastrectomy (surgical removal of all or part of the stomach)

gastroenterostomy (surgical creation of an opening between the stomach wall and the small intestines; performed when the normal opening has been eliminated)

gastrostomy (surgical creation of an opening through the abdominal wall into the stomach (as for gastrogavage))

heart surgery (any surgical procedure involving the heart)

haemorrhoidectomy; hemorrhoidectomy (surgical procedure for tying hemorrhoids and excising them)

hysterotomy (surgical incision into the uterus (as in cesarean section))

implantation (a surgical procedure that places something in the human body)

intestinal bypass (surgical operation that shortens the small intestine; used in treating obesity)

jejunostomy (surgical creation of an opening between the jejunum and the anterior abdominal wall; will allow artificial feeding)

major surgery (any surgical procedure that involves anesthesia or respiratory assistance)

microsurgery (surgery using operating microscopes and miniaturized precision instruments to perform intricate procedures on very small structures)

minor surgery (any surgical procedure that does not involve anesthesia or respiratory assistance)

myotomy (surgical incision or division of a muscle)

myringectomy (surgical removal of the eardrum)

myringoplasty (surgical repair of a perforated eardrum with a tissue graft)

myringotomy (surgical incision into the eardrum (to relieve pressure or release pus from the middle ear))

neurosurgery (any surgery that involves the nervous system (brain or spinal cord or peripheral nerves))

orchiopexy (operation to bring an undescended testicle into the scrotum)

osteotomy (surgical sectioning of bone)

ostomy (surgical procedure that creates an artificial opening for the elimination of bodily wastes)

palatopharyngoplasty; PPP; UPPP; uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (surgical resection of unnecessary palatal and oropharyngeal tissue to open the airway; intended to cure extreme cases of snoring (with or without sleep apnea))

phlebectomy (surgical removal or all or part of a vein; sometimes done in cases of severe varicose veins)

photocoagulation (surgical procedure that uses an intense laser beam to destroy diseased retinal tissue or to make a scar that will hold the retina in cases of detached retina)

anaplasty; plastic surgery; reconstructive surgery (surgery concerned with therapeutic or cosmetic reformation of tissue)

polypectomy (surgical removal of a polyp)

resection (surgical removal of part of a structure or organ)

rhinotomy (surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the nose to drain accumulated pus)

rhizotomy (surgical procedure in which spinal nerve roots are cut; done (anterior roots) to relieve intractable pain or (posterior roots) to stop severe muscle spasms)

sex-change operation; transsexual surgery (surgical procedures and hormonal treatments designed to alter a person's sexual characteristics so that the resemble those of the opposite sex)

purse-string operation; Shirodkar's operation (a surgical procedure in which a suture is used to close the cervix in a pregnant woman; is performed when the cervix has failed to retain previous pregnancies)

sterilisation; sterilization (the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce))

strabotomy (the surgical operation of cutting a muscle or tendon of the eye in order to correct strabismus)

taxis (the surgical procedure of manually restoring a displaced body part)

tracheostomy; tracheotomy (a surgical operation that creates an opening into the trachea with a tube inserted to provide a passage for air; performed when the pharynx is obstructed by edema or cancer or other causes)

organ transplant; transplant; transplantation (an operation moving an organ from one organism (the donor) to another (the recipient))

trephination (an operation that removes a circular section of bone from the skull)

tympanoplasty (surgical correction or repair of defects or injuries in the eardrum or the bones of the middle ear)

uranoplasty (surgical correction of a defect of the palate)

vasovasostomy (a surgical procedure that attempts to restore the function of the vas deferens after a vasectomy)

vivisection (the act of operating on living animals (especially in scientific research))

Derivation:

operate (perform surgery on)

operative (relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

operation; procedure

Context example:

certain machine tool operations

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

work (activity directed toward making or doing something)

Derivation:

operate (perform as expected when applied)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Process or manner of functioning or operating

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

functioning; operation; performance

Context example:

the jet's performance conformed to high standards

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

physical process; process (a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states)

Derivation:

operate (perform as expected when applied)

Sense 9

Meaning:

(psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

cognitive operation; cognitive process; mental process; operation; process

Context example:

the cognitive operation of remembering

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

cognition; knowledge; noesis (the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning)

Domain category:

psychological science; psychology (the science of mental life)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

basic cognitive process (cognitive processes involved in obtaining and storing knowledge)

higher cognitive process (cognitive processes that presuppose the availability of knowledge and put it to use)

Sense 10

Meaning:

(mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

mathematical operation; mathematical process; operation

Context example:

they were learning the basic operations of arithmetic

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

calculation; computation; computing (the procedure of calculating; determining something by mathematical or logical methods)

Domain category:

math; mathematics; maths (a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "operation"):

permutation (the act of changing the arrangement of a given number of elements)

combination (the act of arranging elements into specified groups without regard to order)

differentiation (the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function)

maximization (the mathematical process of finding the maximum value of a function)

integration (an operation used in the calculus whereby the integral of a function is determined)

exponentiation; involution (the process of raising a quantity to some assigned power)

arithmetic operation (a mathematical operation involving numbers)

matrix operation (a mathematical operation involving matrices)

construction (drawing a figure satisfying certain conditions as part of solving a problem or proving a theorem)

relaxation; relaxation method (a method of solving simultaneous equations by guessing a solution and then reducing the errors that result by successive approximations until all the errors are less than some specified amount)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride

Hypernyms ("operation" is a kind of...):

activity (any specific behavior)

Domain category:

business; business enterprise; commercial enterprise (the activity of providing goods and services involving financial and commercial and industrial aspects)

Derivation:

operate (handle and cause to function)

operate (keep engaged)

operate (direct or control; projects, businesses, etc.)

 Context examples 

An operation to create an opening (a stoma) from an area inside the body to the outside.

(Ostomy, NCI Dictionary)

Physical harm reducing the value, operation, or usefulness of something.

(Damage, NCI Thesaurus)

InSight's surface-operations phase began a minute after touchdown.

(NASA InSight Lander Arrives on Martian Surface, NASA)

A serious operation will be necessary before that can be done.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A series of operations on data by a computer in order to retrieve or transform or classify information.

(Data Processing, NCI Thesaurus)

Without another word he made the operation.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

That operation of the mind which we become aware of objects of thought or perception; it includes all aspects of perceiving, thinking, or remembering.

(Alteration Of Cognitive Function, Food and Drug Administration)

Any analytical testing operation not otherwise specified.

(Analytical Laboratory Testing, Not Otherwise Specified, NCI Thesaurus)

And it was to be used for a delicate operation that night.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The Airspace Operations Command in Brasília has kicked off operations of the Geostationary Satellite for Defense and Strategic Communications (SGDC).

(First Brazilian satellite starts operations, Agência Brasil)