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operation

Dictionary definition · operation

noun

  1. the state of being in effect or being operative"that rule is no longer in operation"
  2. a business especially one run on a large scale"a large-scale farming operation"
  3. a planned activity involving many people performing various actions"they organized a rescue operation"
  4. (computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction)"it can perform millions of operations per second"
  5. activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign)"it was a joint operation of the navy and air force"
  6. a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body"they will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available"
  7. a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work"the operations in building a house"
  8. process or manner of functioning or operating"the power of its engine determines its operation"
  9. (psychology) the performance of some composite cognitive activity; an operation that affects mental contents"the process of thinking"
  10. (mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods"the problems at the end of the chapter demonstrated the mathematical processes involved in the derivation"
  11. the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.)"her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride"

Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).