standard operating proceduren.1. Established procedure to be followed in carrying out a given operation or in a given situation.2. A specific procedure or set of procedures so established. American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.stand?ard op?erating proce`dure n. a set of fixed instructions or steps for carrying out routine operations. Abbr.: SOP [1950?55] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.standard operating procedureSee: standing operating procedure.Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.