0 past simple and past participle of operate
1 to (cause to) work, be in action or have an effect:
For several years she operated a dating agency from her basement.
Changes are being introduced to make the department operate more efficiently.
We have representatives operating in most countries.
Exchange rates are currently operating to the advantage of exporters.
2 to cut a body open for medical reasons in order to repair, remove, or replace an unhealthy or damaged part:
The video provides instruction on how to operate the computer.
The legal system operates very differently in the US and Britain.
Terrorists have been operating covertly in England for several years.
In the procedure of calculation above, it can be easily seen that the next step is being operated with the remainder of the former step.
I observed and took notes of each interaction from a distance and operated the tape-recorder myself.
They favored the creation of strong central bureaucratic authorities to ensure that the new agglomerations of private power operated ultimately in the public interest.