Word.ws English Dictionary

non-op

/nɒnˈɒp/

non-op adjective: nonoperational; not functioning.

Adjective

non-op (not comparable)

  1. (informal) Nonoperational; not functioning.
    • Why he had taken refuge in the chapel, he didn't know. His mind had been non-op for a long time now and he just let the impulses flow.1980, Mike McQuay, Lifekeeper, Bantam Books, published 1985, →ISBN, page 254
  2. (informal) Nonoperative; not using or requiring surgical treatment.
    • Richt says the surgery should help speed Samuel's recovery.
      "It was debatable on whether it could have been non-op or not, but this will absolutely stabilize it immediately and allow him to get stronger quicker," Richt said.2011 November 1, Charles Odum, “Georgia suspends Crowell, 2 other backs for 1 game”, in The New York Times
  3. (informal) Having chosen not to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
    • "Just so you know, Vincent, I was a pre-op transsexual. But after my breasts grew and my hips got wider, I was happy with what I had and decided to go non-op."2010, Steven A. Buckhalter, Murder in Protective Custody: Transgenders in Peril Behind Bars, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 145
    Synonyms:
    no-op
  4. (informal) Nonoperating; not directly involved in the mechanical operation of trains.
    • About 200000 "non-op" workers - clerks, telegraphers, machinists, and others not actually involved in operation of the roads - are not union members.1951 December 12, “Nonoperating Rail Unions Ask Wage-Contract Support”, in Christian Science Monitor

Noun

non-op (plural non-ops)

  1. (informal) A transsexual or transgender person who has chosen not to undergo sex reassignment surgery.
    • It is interesting that Galatea makes reference to some encouragement from "post-op" transsexuals, though other "non-ops" advise surgical candidates to reconsider their decision.1998, Claudine Griggs, S/He: Changing Sex and Changing Clothes, Berg, published 2003, →ISBN, pages 84–85
    Synonyms:
    no-op
  2. (informal) A nonoperator; a rail worker not directly involved in the mechanical operation of trains.
    • For example, in the fall of 1973, when we had a rail strike, the government brought in legislation putting the non-ops back to work at an increase of only 30 cents an hour […]1980, Jack Horner, My Own Brand, Hurtig Publishers, →ISBN

Synonyms of non-op

Forms of non-op

Adjective
alternative formnonop
Noun
pluralnon-ops

Origin of non-op

From non- + op (“an operation; an operator; operational; operative; operating”).

Questions about non-op

What does non-op mean?
Non-op means nonoperational; not functioning.
What part of speech is non-op?
Non-op can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce non-op?
Non-op is pronounced /nɒnˈɒp/.

Words near non-op in the dictionary

  1. non-offenders
  2. non-offensive
  3. non-official
  4. non-official cover
  5. non-official covers
  6. non-op
  7. non-opening
  8. non-operating
  9. non-operational
  10. non-ops
  11. non-optical

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: non-op (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.

Last updated:

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