the activity of operating something (a machine or business etc.); "her smooth operation of the vehicle gave us a surprisingly comfortable ride"
a planned activity involving many people performing various actions; "they organized a rescue operation"; "the biggest police operation in French history"; "running a restaurant is quite an operation"; "consolidate the companies various operations"
a process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work; "the operations in building a house"; "certain machine tool operations"
a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body; "they will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available"; "he died while undergoing surgery"
activity by a military or naval force (as a maneuver or campaign); "it was a joint operation of the navy and air force"
a business especially one run on a large scale; "a large-scale farming operation"; "a multinational operation"; "they paid taxes on every stage of the operation"; "they had to consolidate their operations"
(computer science) data processing in which the result is completely specified by a rule (especially the processing that results from a single instruction); "it can perform millions of operations per second"
process or manner of functioning or operating; "the power of its engine determine its operation"; "the plane's operation in high winds"; "they compared the cooking performance of each oven"; "the jet's performance conformed to high standards"
the state of being in effect or being operative; "that rule is no longer in operation"
(nonstandard in some uses but often idiomatic with measure phrases) fewer; "less than three weeks"; "no less than 50 people attended"; "in 25 words or less"
(usually preceded by `no') lower in quality; "no less than perfect"
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs; "less interesting"; "less expensive"; "less quickly"
comparative of little; "she walks less than she should"; "he works less these days"
not tried or tested by experience; "unseasoned artillery volunteers"; "still untested in battle"; "an illustrator untried in mural painting"; "a young hand at plowing"
the defensive football players who line up behind the linemen
belonging to a lower class or rank
not of major importance; "played a secondary role in world events"
being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate; "the stone will be hauled to a secondary crusher"; "a secondary source"; "a secondary issue"; "secondary streams"
depending on or incidental to what is original or primary; "a secondary infection"
borrowing and leaving an article as security for repayment of the loan
(chess) the least powerful piece; moves only forward and captures only to the side; it can be promoted to a more powerful piece if it reaches the 8th rank
an article deposited as security
leave as a guarantee in return for money; "pawn your grandfather's gold watch"
a sacrament admitting a baptized person to full participation in the church
a ceremony held in the synagogue (usually at Pentecost) to admit as adult members of the Jewish community young men and women who have successfully completed a course of study in Judaism
additional proof that something that was believed (some fact or hypothesis or theory) is correct; "fossils provided further confirmation of the evolutionary theory"