noun · neutral

operator

UK/ˈɒpəreɪtə/US/ˈɑːpəreɪtər/OP·er·a·tor

Band 6-7task2speaking

a person or company that runs a service or business, especially transport services

Examples

Local bus operators have increased the frequency of services on busy routes.

The ferry operator apologized for the cancellation due to bad weather.

Transport operators must comply with new safety regulations.

Band 8 sentence

Transport operators face mounting pressure to modernize fleets and meet stricter emissions standards.

Collocations

  • bus operator
  • mobile operator
  • operator license

Word family

operator nounoperate verboperational adjective

Common mistakes

operator = driveroperator

operator (used where 'company' is better) 'The operator is big' meaning individualoperator / company (use depending on context)

Say it for a higher band

5company6provider7+operator

Synonyms

company

Easily confused

provider

The internet provider upgraded its network to improve speeds.

Related words

Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.

In Transport & Traffic

Learn it with its set