broker
Americannoun
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an agent who buys or sells for a principal on a commission basis without having title to the property.
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a person who functions as an intermediary between two or more parties in negotiating agreements, bargains, or the like.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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an agent who, acting on behalf of a principal, buys or sells goods, securities, etc, in return for a commission
insurance broker
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(formerly) short for stockbroker
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a dealer in second-hand goods
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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brokersimple
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brokerssimple
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have brokeredperfect
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has brokeredperfect
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am brokeringprogressive
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are brokeringprogressive
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is brokeringprogressive
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have been brokeringperfect progressive
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has been brokeringperfect progressive
Past
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brokeredsimple
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had brokeredperfect
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was brokeringprogressive
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were brokeringprogressive
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had been brokeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of broker
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English broco(u)r, from Anglo-French abrocour, broco(u)r “middleman, wine merchant”; compare Old Provençal abrocador, perhaps based on Spanish alboroque “gift or drink concluding a transaction” (from Arabic al-burūk “the gift, gratuity”), with -ador, from Latin -ātor -ator; alternatively, from Old French brocheor, brokeor “wine merchant,” derivative of broche ( see broach ( def. ))
Explanation
A broker is someone who buys or sells for someone else for a commission. You may go to a real estate company to get a broker to help you buy a house. In Middle English broker meant "peddler or retailer." Nowadays a broker still sells things — but she's acting as an agent making deals for someone else and collecting a commission for all that work. Used as a verb, broker means to arrange a deal or negotiate. Working for an advisory firm, a broker may convince you to invest in a company — so the broker would broker a business deal.
Vocabulary lists containing broker
This Week in Words: January 13 - 19, 2018
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 27–March 5, 2021
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr. Pielke is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of the Honest Broker substack.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Broker Yovanni Cantillo said the market has regained momentum in recent months, particularly Havana's most desirable neighborhoods.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
You can also make sure that you get to know them enough to trust them — and verify with a quick look at Broker Check from Finra to check for violations.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
Broker Michelle Lawson, of Lawson Financial, said lenders were diversifying their offer to attract more business.
From BBC • Sep. 23, 2024
Broker Lawson did the buying, and while the excitement was running high he bought freely.
From Frenzied Finance Vol. 1: The Crime of Amalgamated by Lawson, Thomas William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
