Operate and Use

Operate

Operate verb - To control the mechanical operation of.
Usage example: do not operate heavy machinery, including cars, after taking this medication

Use is a synonym for operate in work topic. In some cases you can use "Use" instead a verb "Operate", when it comes to topics like control, run, work out. popular alternative

Use

Use verb - To put into action or service.
Usage example: I will need to use the large hammer for this project

Operate is a synonym for use in work topic. You can use "Operate" instead a verb "Use", if it concerns topics such as consume, control, utilize, work out. popular alternative

Nearby Words: useless, useful, used, usefulness, using

Common collocations

device operate device use device
body operate body use body
system operate system use system
equipment operate equipment use equipment
Other words: way, technology, machine, magic, weapon, version, phone, gun, weapons, guns, firearms.

Both words in one sentence

  • Advances in technology have made lighthouses mostly obsolete, though; GPS and LORAN killed off the use of lighthouses in commercial shipping due to being much more accurate and cheaper to use and operate.
  • Radar / Live-Action TV After Amy breaks up with him, Sheldon gets the bright idea to use a remote control to operate the camera when he does "Fun With Flags".
  • Unusual User Interface The David Hopkins webcomic Rework the Dead has the "purple light system" which allows species without limbs to use technology simply by looking at the control the want to operate and blinking
Cite this Source
Use and Operate. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 16, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/operate/use
Operate & Use. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/operate/use>.
Use or Operate. 2016. Accessed August 16, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/operate/use.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "operate" and "use" have occurred on timeline