(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
An ~ is a person who connects telephone calls at a telephone exchange or in a place such as an office or hotel.
He dialled the ~ and put in a call for Rome.
N-COUNT
2.
An ~ is a person who is employed to operate or control a machine.
...computer ~s.
N-COUNT: usu n N
3.
An ~ is a person or a company that runs a business. (BUSINESS)
...‘Tele-Communications’, the nation’s largest cable TV ~.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
4.
If you call someone a good ~, you mean that they are skilful at achieving what they want, often in a slightly dishonest way. (INFORMAL)
...one of the shrewdest political ~s in the Arab World.
N-COUNT: usu adj N
5.
see also tour ~