operable
adjective
op·er·a·ble
ˈä-p(ə-)rə-bəl 
1
: fit, possible, or desirable to use : practicable
2
: likely to result in a favorable outcome upon surgical treatment
an operable cancer
Examples of operable in a Sentence
The radio is operable without the car running.
the historic wooden ship has been fully restored and is once again an operable seafaring vessel
Recent Examples on the Web
Also, in many developing countries, operable blindness is still far too common.
—
Moby Kazmi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
By the time the fire started in early January, the Pacific Palisades Reservoir remained out of service and the Santa Ynez Reservoir was still two months away from being operable.
—Mike Baker, New York Times, 3 May 2025
The ordinance didn’t outlaw operable windows in offices, but the practice seemed to fall out of favor with developers.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Mar. 2025
The old Pfizer buildings have floors that are roughly 200 feet deep, and Mr. Berman will have to divide the space to meet light and air regulations, such as the requirement that each apartment has a minimum distance between an operable window and building walls.
—Ellen Rosen, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operable
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Moby Kazmi, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
By the time the fire started in early January, the Pacific Palisades Reservoir remained out of service and the Santa Ynez Reservoir was still two months away from being operable.
—Mike Baker, New York Times, 3 May 2025
The ordinance didn’t outlaw operable windows in offices, but the practice seemed to fall out of favor with developers.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 27 Mar. 2025
The old Pfizer buildings have floors that are roughly 200 feet deep, and Mr. Berman will have to divide the space to meet light and air regulations, such as the requirement that each apartment has a minimum distance between an operable window and building walls.
—Ellen Rosen, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operable
Cite this Entry
“Operable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/operable. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
operable
adjective
op·er·a·ble
ˈäp-(ə-)rə-bəl
1
: fit, possible, or desirable to use
2
: likely to have a favorable result upon surgical treatment
an operable cancer
Medical Definition
operable
adjective
op·er·a·ble
ˈäp-(ə-)rə-bəl
1
: fit, possible, or desirable to use
2
: likely to result in a favorable outcome upon surgical treatment
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share