transcription, транскрипция: [ ɒpərətɪv ]
( operatives)
1.
A system or service that is operative is working or having an effect. ( FORMAL )
The commercial telephone service was no longer operative...
ADJ : usu v-link ADJ
2.
An operative is a worker, especially one who does work with their hands. ( FORMAL )
In an automated car plant there is not a human operative to be seen.
N-COUNT
3.
An operative is someone who works for a government agency such as the intelligence service. ( mainly AM )
Naturally the CIA wants to protect its operatives.
N-COUNT
4.
If you describe a word as the operative word , you want to draw attention to it because you think it is important or exactly true in a particular situation.
As long as the operative word is ‘greed’, you can’t count on people keeping the costs down...
PHRASE : N inflects