| operative | | |
| n. (person) | 1. intelligence agent, intelligence officer, operative, secret agent | a person secretly employed in espionage for a government. |
| ~ agent | a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations. |
| ~ agent-in-place | an operative serving as a penetration into an intelligence target. |
| ~ agent provocateur, provocateur | a secret agent who incites suspected persons to commit illegal acts. |
| ~ bridge agent | an operative who acts as a courier or go-between from a case officer to a secret agent in a hostile area. |
| ~ case officer | an operative who also serves as an official staffer of an intelligence service. |
| ~ codetalker, windtalker | a secret agent who was one of the Navajos who devised and used a code based on their native language; the code was unbroken by the Japanese during World War II. |
| ~ foot | a member of a surveillance team who works on foot or rides as a passenger. |
| ~ noc | an undercover agent who is given no official cover. |
| ~ spy, undercover agent | (military) a secret agent hired by a state to obtain information about its enemies or by a business to obtain industrial secrets from competitors. |
| ~ walk-in | an operative who initiates his own defection (usually to a hostile country) for political asylum. |
| n. (person) | 2. operative, pi, private detective, private eye, private investigator, shamus, sherlock | someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information. |
| ~ detective | an investigator engaged or employed in obtaining information not easily available to the public. |
| ~ hotel detective, house detective, house dick | a private detective employed by a hotel or retail store. |
| ~ inquiry agent | a private detective. |
| ~ store detective | a private detective employed by a merchant to stop pilferage. |
| adj. | 3. operative | being in force or having or exerting force.; "operative regulations"; "the major tendencies operative in the American political system" |
| ~ operant | having influence or producing an effect.; "many emotional determinants at work"; "an operant conscience" |
| ~ in effect, in force, effective, good | exerting force or influence.; "the law is effective immediately"; "a warranty good for two years"; "the law is already in effect (or in force)" |
| ~ in operation, operating, operational | being in effect or operation.; "de facto apartheid is still operational even in the `new' African nations"; "bus service is in operation during the emergency"; "the company had several operating divisions" |
| ~ working | serving to permit or facilitate further work or activity.; "discussed the working draft of a peace treaty"; "they need working agreements with their neighbor states on interstate projects" |
| adj. | 4. operative, surgical | relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine.; "a surgical appendix"; "a surgical procedure"; "operative dentistry" |
| ~ preoperative | happening or done before and in preparation for a surgical operation. |
| ~ postoperative | happening or done after a surgical operation.; "postoperative complications"; "postoperative care" |
| adj. | 5. operative | effective; producing a desired effect.; "the operative word" |
| ~ significant, important | important in effect or meaning.; "a significant change in tax laws"; "a significant change in the Constitution"; "a significant contribution"; "significant details"; "statistically significant" |
| adj. | 6. functional, operative, running, working | (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing.; "in running (or working) order"; "a functional set of brakes" |
| ~ functioning | performing or able to perform its regular function.; "a functioning flashlight" |
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