operatives

noun

plural of operative
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

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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

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of operatives The Paramount+ spy thriller, now in its third season, follows Joe, the leader of the CIA’s covert Lioness Program, which recruits female operatives to befriend women connected to high-value terrorist targets. — Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 10 Aug. 2026 Mexican authorities have dismantled well over a thousand clandestine drug laboratories, seized enormous quantities of narcotics and fentanyl pills, arrested thousands of cartel operatives, and extradited major criminal figures to the United States. — Chris Shays, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2026 Strong-arming Hamas With little progress in improving living conditions in Gaza and with Israel continuing to kill its operatives, Hamas has faced intense pressure in recent months to make further concessions. — Mkhaimar Abusada, The Conversation, 6 Aug. 2026 One of Madigan's top political operatives, Kevin Quinn, and his chief of staff, Tim Mapes, were both hit with their own allegations of inappropriate behavior. — Ben Szalinski, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Lioness returned to Paramount+ on Sunday, and in season 3, Saldaña’s Joe McNamara must walk the line between her duty as a CIA officer and her home life, as hidden networks, foreign operatives, and personal betrayals collide. — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026 Acrimony doesn’t even begin to get at the mood on the ground, according to operatives in both camps. — Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Aug. 2026 The Israeli military said the latest strikes had targeted Hamas military operatives. — Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026 The Israeli military said the strikes had targeted militant operatives. — ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operatives
  1. spies
  2. detectives
  3. agents
  4. investigators
Noun
  • Germany’s cabinet approved new rules for its spies Wednesday to lift World War II-era restrictions on offensive cyber operations, sabotage, and espionage.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • It was announced in June that the duo was reuniting to play estranged father-daughter spies for Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne’s new project.
    — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of spies
Noun
  • Farinacci often spent days and even weeks scouting potential fire locations, monitoring weather and wildfire data, and planning to set multiple fires to stretch firefighting resources thin, according to detectives.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives have launched an investigation after a man was found dead in Santa Clarita on Sunday morning.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of detectives
Noun
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and officers may soon be equipped with gloves that deliver electrical shocks, which the manufacturer says are intended to de-escalate encounters with individuals.
    — Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
  • In both of last month's shootings, agents were not wearing body cameras.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of agents
Noun
  • But Davis’s book is part of a flurry of statements and interviews that, investigators say, taken together amount to an admission he was involved in the murder.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The boyfriend of a 2-year-old boy's mother is facing felony charges after investigators accused him of hiding the child's body in the woods behind a Marietta apartment complex and lying to police.
    — CBS News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of investigators

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Cite this Entry

“Operatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operatives. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of operatives for Spanish Speakers

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