Word.ws English Dictionary

modus operandis

modus operandis is the plural of modus operandi.

Meaning of modus operandi

Noun

modus operandi (plural modi operandi or modus operandis)

  1. (colloquial) A person or thing's normal mode of operation.
    • Failing that, if contact was absolutely necessary, a series of thumb jabs to the nerve cluster at the base of the neck would be his chosen modus operandi—quiet as a whisper.2001, Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl, pages 92–93
  2. A known criminal's established habits and mode of work when committing specific offences, especially fraud, matched with characteristics of an unsolved crime to narrow down (limit to a specific list) or profile suspects.

Questions about modus operandis

What is modus operandis the plural of?
Modus operandis is the plural of modus operandi.

Words near modus operandis in the dictionary

  1. modulus of rigidity
  2. modulus of rupture
  3. modus
  4. modus morons
  5. modus operandi
  6. modus operandis
  7. modus operandum
  8. modus operandus
  9. modus ponendo ponens
  10. modus ponendo tollens
  11. modus ponens

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: modus operandis (page history and authors); modus operandi (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “modus operandis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/modus_operandis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.