ˈhʌsləɹ ˈɒpəˌɹeɪtə ˈɑpəˌɹeɪɾɚ a shrewd or unscrupulous person who knows how to circumvent difficulties an agent that operates some apparatus or machine the operator of the switchboard someone who owns or operates a business who is the operator of this franchise? a speculator who trades aggressively on stock or commodity markets (mathematics) a symbol or function representing a mathematical operation