1
as in spies
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
CIA operatives take terrible risks to find out the secrets of foreign countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in detectives
a person not on the police force who investigates criminal or illicit activity or searches for missing persons
set in the 1930s, the novel is about a washed-out operative working for a third-rate detective agency
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operatives
Noun
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Rivera said that detectives told her Xion was found on top of two of his little siblings after the shooting.—
Angie DiMichele,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Apr. 2025 -
Sheriff’s detectives are investigating the death of a 1-year-old girl who was found unresponsive in a licensed daycare center in Rancho San Diego on Tuesday.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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At Cloud Next, Google Cloud’s annual user conference, the company presented its vision for AI agents.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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The next wave of AI transformation will be driven by agents.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The human resources department cited telehealth providers, investigators and inspectors as examples of employees who fit into this exception.—
William Melhado,
Sacramento Bee,
15 Mar. 2025
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On June 5, 2023, investigators said Bell got into an argument with a 39-year-old male co-worker after his shift at the Tropicana plant in Bradenton.—
Michael Moore Jr.,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Operatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operatives. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.
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