operator:
(plural: ‘operators‘; for the right pronunciation of this word, please click here)
computer operators at work
(usually used in combination with other words) a person/worker who works/operates a machine;
(old usage, before the dial-up system came into use) also called ‘telephone operator‘ or ‘switchboard operator‘ — an employee in the telephone service who used to connect two people (telephone numbers) on the phone;
a fork-lift operator at work
an owner or manager of a business;
a cunning person who knows how to make people listen to them or makes people listen to them even using secret or illegal methods/ways;
an operative (previous entry);
a businessman/speculator who does business in stock market without much caution and thinking,
an operator/a secret agent
There are several kinds of operators: a business operator, an elevator-operator, a fork-lift operator, a crane-operator, a computer operator, etc.
Lifts/elevators have become common place and so advanced these days that they have doors that close automatically, and as a result, there is no need for lift-operators.
When I was young, there used to be telephone operators/switchboard operators who asked us “Number please!” when we lifted the handset of our telephone.
The secret police have operators all over the city to get secret information about the illegal activities.
