as in available
capable of or suitable for being used for a particular purpose
the historic wooden ship has been fully restored and is once again an operable seafaring vessel
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Recent Examples of operable
The two-door refrigerator under a burner was not operable.
—
Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Under federal law, a low-speed electric bicycle must have operable pedals, a motor no stronger than 750 watts, and a top speed of 20 mph when powered solely by the motor.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
As part of his state probation, he is also barred from being within 25 feet of any operable aircraft.
—John Capell, ABC News, 17 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for operable
Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 9 Jan. 2026
Under federal law, a low-speed electric bicycle must have operable pedals, a motor no stronger than 750 watts, and a top speed of 20 mph when powered solely by the motor.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
As part of his state probation, he is also barred from being within 25 feet of any operable aircraft.
—John Capell, ABC News, 17 Nov. 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
See All Example Sentences for operable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for operable
Adjective
-
Armchair analysis fills the space that is created by the absence of available facts.—
Paige Williams,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The model is only available to paying subscribers but will be available to the public soon, Kuaishou said.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Overall, the device feels like an incremental, useful evolution of the portable workstation idea.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 Feb. 2026
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There’s usually some time that can be rearranged, experience built over the years, and a real interest in creating something useful.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Operable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/operable. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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