Meanings
nountelephone operator (plural telephone operators)
plural telephone operators
- A person who operates a telephone switchboard.
Since the outbreak of war women have been recruited for many grades of railway work. The number of women clerks has been increased greatly, and women are performing invaluable work as porters, motor drivers, carriage cleaners, and telephone operators, as well as in a variety of other capacities.
1942 July-August, T. F. Cameron, “How the Staff of a Railway is Recruited”, in Railway Magazine, page 207 - A person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone.
Synonyms & antonyms
Similar
nounsomeone who helps callers get the person they are calling
Similar
telephonistswitchboard operator
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan telefonista, teleoperador
- telefonistaa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- teleoperadora person who operates a telephone switchboard
- teleoperadoraa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonistaa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- teleoperadora person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- teleoperadoraa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Danish telefonist
- telefonista person who operates a telephone switchboard
Finnish puhelinvirkailija, keskusneiti
- puhelinvirkailijaa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- keskusneitia person who operates a telephone switchboard
- puhelinvirkailijaa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
French standardiste, téléphoniste
- standardistea person who operates a telephone switchboard
- téléphonistea person who operates a telephone switchboard
- téléphonistea person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- téléopérateura person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- téléopératricea person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
German Telefonist, Telefonistin
- Telefonista person who operates a telephone switchboard
- Telefonistina person who operates a telephone switchboard
- Telefonista person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- Telefonistina person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Greek τηλεφωνητής, τηλεφωνήτρια
- τηλεφωνητής (tilefonitís)a person who operates a telephone switchboard
- τηλεφωνήτρια (tilefonítria)a person who operates a telephone switchboard
Hungarian telefonközpontos, központos
- telefonközpontosa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- központosa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonkezelőa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- telefonosa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- telefonoskisasszonya person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Korean 전화 교환원
- 전화 교환원 (jeonhwa gyohwan-won)a person who operates a telephone switchboard
Malay telefonis, telefonis
- telefonisa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonisa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Polish telefonista, telefonistka
- telefonistaa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonistkaa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonistaa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- telefonistkaa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Portuguese telefonista, telefonista
- telefonistaa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonistaa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- teleoperadora person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- teleoperadoraa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Russian телефони́ст, телефони́стка
- телефони́ст (telefoníst)a person who operates a telephone switchboard
- телефони́стка (telefonístka)a person who operates a telephone switchboard
- телефони́ст (telefoníst)a person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- телефони́стка (telefonístka)a person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Spanish telefonista, teleoperador
- telefonistaa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- teleoperadora person who operates a telephone switchboard
- teleoperadoraa person who operates a telephone switchboard
- telefonistaa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- teleoperadora person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
- teleoperadoraa person who provides assistance in establishing a connection, or who provides information or takes messages via the telephone
Cite this entry
APA
telephone operator. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telephone%20operator
MLA
“telephone operator.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telephone%20operator. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “telephone operator,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/telephone%20operator.
Source: telephone operator on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.