# op

Pronunciation: say "OP" US /ɑp/, UK /ɒp/

## Noun

1. Short for operation: surgery, or a planned activity, especially by police, armed forces, or spies. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of operation.
   - Simple: Short for operation. People use it in everyday talk.
   - _The covert op was called off when the target changed his plans._
   - _The undercover op ran for six months before anyone was arrested._
9. Short for opponent: a person one competes against in a fight, game, or contest. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of opponent.
   - Simple: Short for opponent: someone you compete or fight against.
   - _He studied hours of video of his next op before the title fight._
   - _In online chess, you rarely learn anything about your op except their rating._
4. Short for operator: a person who operates a machine or piece of equipment, such as a camera. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of operator.
   - Simple: Short for operator: a person who works a machine, such as a camera.
   - _Our camera op spent the morning setting up shots on the rooftop._
   - _The forklift op signed for the delivery at the loading dock._
5. Short for op art: abstract art with patterns and colors that trick the eye, making shapes seem to move or have depth. — Ellipsis of op art.
   - Simple: Short for op art, art that uses shapes and colors to trick the eye.
   - _Her dizzying op dress seemed to ripple as she walked across the stage._
   - _The gallery's new show pairs op canvases with early computer art._
7. Short for opinion: a view or judgment, used online when asking what others think of something. *(slang)* — Clipping of opinion.
   - Simple: Short for opinion: what someone thinks, used online to ask for other people's views.
   - _Just finished this logo for a friend's bakery. Ops?_
   - _Thanks for all the ops on my first painting. I'm redoing the sky now._
12. An operator on IRC: a user who can moderate a chat channel, ban other users and manage it in similar ways. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person in charge of an IRC chat room, who can block users and keep order.
   - _Two ops were online that night, so the flood of spam was cleared within minutes._
   - _If someone keeps trolling the channel, message an op rather than arguing back._

## Noun · OP

2. Short for original poster: the person who started an online discussion thread. — Initialism of original poster; the person who started a thread. (pronounced: say "oh-PEE" US /ˌoʊˈpiː/, UK /ˌəʊˈpiː/)
   - Simple: Short for original poster: the person who started an online discussion.
   - _Several replies drifted off topic before the OP stepped back in to clarify the question._
   - _OP here: the fix worked, so thanks to everyone who answered._
6. Short for opening theme: the music that plays at the start of a show. — Initialism of opening theme. (pronounced: say "oh-PEE" US /ˌoʊˈpiː/, UK /ˌəʊˈpiː/)
   - Simple: Short for opening theme, the music that plays at the start of a show.
   - _The new season's OP was streamed millions of times in its first week._
   - _She learned to play the OP on piano by ear._
10. Short for observation post: a position, often hidden, from which soldiers or police keep watch on an area or target. — Initialism of observation post. (pronounced: say "oh-PEE" US /ˌoʊˈpiː/, UK /ˌəʊˈpiː/)
   - Simple: Short for observation post: a place where soldiers or police keep watch.
   - _The patrol manned the OP through the night, reporting every vehicle on the road below._
   - _Detectives ran an OP from an empty apartment opposite the suspect's building._
14. Short for outpatient: a patient treated at a hospital or clinic without being formally admitted. — Abbreviation of outpatient. (pronounced: say "oh-PEE" US /ˌoʊˈpiː/, UK /ˌəʊˈpiː/)
   - Simple: Short for outpatient, a patient who goes home the same day.
   - _Each OP is booked a follow-up appointment before leaving the clinic._
   - _The hospital is moving its OP appointments to the new building next spring._

## Adjective · OP

Pronunciation: say "oh-PEE" US /ˌoʊˈpiː/, UK /ˌəʊˈpiː/

3. Short for overpowered: in a game, so strong compared with other options that it upsets the game's balance. — Abbreviation of overpowered.
   - Simple: Short for overpowered: in a game, much too strong.
   - _Players complained that the sniper rifle was OP until the latest patch weakened it._
   - _Fans are already calling the new healer class OP._
11. Short for out of print: no longer printed or sold new by the publisher. — Abbreviation of out of print.
   - Simple: Short for out of print: no longer sold by the publisher.
   - _The publisher's catalog marks the title OP, so the library will look for a used copy._
   - _Dealers charge a premium for OP first editions in good condition._
16. Short for overplayed: of a song, played so often that people have grown tired of hearing it. — Initialism of overplayed.
   - Simple: Short for overplayed: of a song, heard so many times that people are tired of it.
   - _Skip this one. It's OP, and every station has played it to death._
   - _I loved that summer anthem at first, but after hearing it at every party it feels OP._

## Proper noun · OP

Pronunciation: say "oh-PEE" US /ˌoʊˈpiː/, UK /ˌəʊˈpiː/

8. Initialism of Ordo Praedicatorum, the Order of Preachers: the Dominicans, a religious order. — Initialism of Ordo Praedicatorum (Order of Preachers, the Dominicans, a religious order).
   - Simple: Initialism of Ordo Praedicatorum. It names the Dominicans, a religious group also called the Order of Preachers.
   - _The new book on prayer was written by Brother Thomas Reilly, OP, a friar at the priory._
   - _The college chaplain, Father Peter Shaw, OP, celebrated the opening Mass._

## Verb

13. To promote a user on IRC to the rank of operator.
   - Simple: To make someone an operator in an IRC chat, so they can help run it.
   - _Can someone op me so I can kick the spammer?_
   - _She was opped the moment she joined, since she had founded the channel._
15. To shop at op shops (charity shops), or to buy a particular item there. *(colloquial, Australia)*
   - Simple: To shop at charity shops, or buy something second-hand there.
   - _She likes to op the kids' winter clothes instead of buying them new._
   - _Mate, I opped a whole set of old dinner plates for ten bucks._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Short for overproof: of liquor, containing more alcohol than the strength officially called proof.
- (noun) Short for organophosphate: a kind of chemical, often used to kill insects, that can also make people sick.
- (noun) Initialism of opposite prompt: stage right.
- (proper noun) Short for Office of the President: the government office that directly supports the president and oversees agencies that report to the president.
- (noun) Initialism of other person's: a cigarette cadged from someone else.
- (noun) Short for original publishing: publishing music under a direct agreement with its writer.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–5, 7–14, 16** — A shortened form of opponent, operation, or operator.
**Meaning 6** — From Japanese OP, short for オープニング, from English opening.
**Meaning 15** — Shortened from op shop.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/op (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).