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
There’s also greater enforcement of encampment and parking rules; the vehicles need to be operable, have up-to-date registration and move every 72 hours.
—
Devan Patel, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Under local law, even inoperable or replica weapons are considered potentially operable if they can be modified to fire, placing them under the same strict legal framework.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
According to a report by the US Energy Information Administration, Russia has a total of 36 operable nuclear reactors with a capacity of 27 gigawatts.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Approved by voters hoodwinked by false cost estimates, the project was supposed to be operable by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for operable
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Devan Patel, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
Under local law, even inoperable or replica weapons are considered potentially operable if they can be modified to fire, placing them under the same strict legal framework.
—Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
According to a report by the US Energy Information Administration, Russia has a total of 36 operable nuclear reactors with a capacity of 27 gigawatts.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Approved by voters hoodwinked by false cost estimates, the project was supposed to be operable by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 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 31 Oct. 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
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