broker

[ broh-ker ]
See synonyms for broker on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an agent who buys or sells for a principal on a commission basis without having title to the property.

  2. a person who functions as an intermediary between two or more parties in negotiating agreements, bargains, or the like.

verb (used with object)
  1. to act as a broker for: to broker the sale of a house.

verb (used without object)
  1. to act as a broker.

Origin of broker

1
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 )

Other words from broker

  • bro·ker·ship, noun
  • sub·bro·ker, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use broker in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for broker

broker

/ (ˈbrəʊkə) /


noun
  1. an agent who, acting on behalf of a principal, buys or sells goods, securities, etc, in return for a commission: insurance broker

  2. (formerly) short for stockbroker

  1. a dealer in second-hand goods

verb
  1. to act as a broker (in)

Origin of broker

1
C14: from Anglo-French brocour broacher (of casks, hence, one who sells, agent), from Old Northern French broquier to tap a cask, from broque tap of a cask; see broach 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for broker

broker

A financial agent or intermediary; a middleman.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.