diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/ui/org/eclipse/cdt/ui/tests/search/BasicSearchTest.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/ui/org/eclipse/cdt/ui/tests/search/BasicSearchTest.java
index c0d84fb1f13..55812e5eb33 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/ui/org/eclipse/cdt/ui/tests/search/BasicSearchTest.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui.tests/ui/org/eclipse/cdt/ui/tests/search/BasicSearchTest.java
@@ -379,4 +379,14 @@ public class BasicSearchTest extends BaseUITestCase {
 		query= makeProjectQuery("f");
 		assertOccurrences(query, 6);
 	}
+	
+	//	struct S {
+	//		bool operator<(const S&, const S&);
+	//	};
+	
+	//	// empty
+	public void testOverloadedOperatorNoSpace_408870() throws Exception {
+		CSearchQuery query = makeProjectQuery("operator<");
+		assertOccurrences(query, 1);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/browser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/browser/opentype/ElementSelectionDialog.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/browser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/browser/opentype/ElementSelectionDialog.java
index 893d9cfb11d..ba6b04b6ac3 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/browser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/browser/opentype/ElementSelectionDialog.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/browser/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/browser/opentype/ElementSelectionDialog.java
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ import org.eclipse.cdt.ui.browser.typeinfo.TypeSelectionDialog;
 import org.eclipse.cdt.internal.core.browser.IndexModelUtil;
 
 import org.eclipse.cdt.internal.ui.ICHelpContextIds;
+import org.eclipse.cdt.internal.ui.search.CSearchUtil;
 
 /**
  * A dialog to select an element from a filterable list of elements.
@@ -349,6 +350,7 @@ public class ElementSelectionDialog extends TypeSelectionDialog {
 	}
 
 	protected void scheduleUpdate(String filterText) {
+		filterText= CSearchUtil.adjustSearchStringForOperators(filterText);
 		char[] newPrefix= toPrefix(filterText);
 		final char[] currentPrefix= fUpdateJob.getCurrentPrefix();
 		final boolean equivalentPrefix= isEquivalentPrefix(currentPrefix, newPrefix);
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPage.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPage.java
index 3191200469c..f50c53cdcdc 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPage.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPage.java
@@ -439,7 +439,7 @@ public class CSearchPage extends DialogPage implements ISearchPage {
 				final String text = patternCombo.getText();
 				final char[] newChars= event.text.toCharArray();
 				final StringBuilder result= new StringBuilder(newChars.length);
-				boolean relax= prefix(text, event.start, result).contains(Keywords.OPERATOR + " "); //$NON-NLS-1$
+				boolean relax= prefix(text, event.start, result).contains(Keywords.OPERATOR);
 				for (final char c : newChars) {
 					switch (c) {
 					case  '_': 
@@ -459,7 +459,6 @@ public class CSearchPage extends DialogPage implements ISearchPage {
 					case '%': case '^': case '(': case ')':
 					case '[': case ']': 
 						if (prefix(text, event.start, result).endsWith(Keywords.OPERATOR)) {
-							result.append(' ');
 							relax= true;
 						}
 						if (relax)
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPatternQuery.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPatternQuery.java
index 6ae17d19ab7..fd2a6a95a32 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPatternQuery.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchPatternQuery.java
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ public class CSearchPatternQuery extends CSearchQuery {
 			int flags) throws PatternSyntaxException {
 		super(scope, flags);
 		this.scopeDesc = scopeDesc;
+
+		// adjust the pattern string to accomodate searches for operators
+		patternStr = CSearchUtil.adjustSearchStringForOperators(patternStr);
 		
 		// remove spurious whitespace, which will make the search fail 100% of the time
 		this.patternStr = patternStr.trim();
diff --git a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchUtil.java b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchUtil.java
index 0995da90ff2..65d016b135b 100644
--- a/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchUtil.java
+++ b/core/org.eclipse.cdt.ui/src/org/eclipse/cdt/internal/ui/search/CSearchUtil.java
@@ -66,4 +66,36 @@ public class CSearchUtil {
 		}
 		return isWrite;
 	}
+	
+	
+	/**
+	 * Returns true whether 'ch' could the first character of an overloadable C++ operator. 
+	 */
+	private static boolean isOperatorChar(char ch) {
+		switch (ch) {
+		case '&': case '|': case '+': case '-':
+		case '!': case '=': case '>': case '<':
+		case '%': case '^': case '(': case ')':
+		case '[': case '~':
+			return true;
+		default:
+			return false;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * If 'searchStr' contains the name of an overloadable operator with no
+	 * space between 'operator' and the operator (e.g. 'operator<'), insert
+	 * a space (yielding e.g. 'operator <'). This is necessary because the
+	 * binding names for overloaded operators in the index contain such a 
+	 * space, and the search wouldn't find them otherwise. 
+	 */
+	public static String adjustSearchStringForOperators(String searchStr) {
+		int operatorIndex = searchStr.indexOf("operator");  //$NON-NLS-1$
+		int operatorCharIndex = operatorIndex + 8;  // "operator" is 8 characters
+		if (operatorCharIndex < searchStr.length() && isOperatorChar(searchStr.charAt(operatorCharIndex))) {
+			searchStr = searchStr.substring(0, operatorCharIndex) + ' ' + searchStr.substring(operatorCharIndex);
+		}
+		return searchStr;
+	}
 }