secret agent

noun

1. an agent of a secret service.
2. (loosely) a person employed to collect the military secrets of one country and relay them to another, especially a person living in a foreign country while so working for their own nation; spy.

secret agent

noun

1. a person employed in espionage

Word History and Origins

Origin of secret agent¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

A lot of the movie Bonds seemed to enjoy the perks of being a secret agent.

From Washington Post

The most important aspect might have nothing to do with which actor plays the famous secret agent but what the new era will attempt to portray.

From Washington Post

Like in the original, players follow Razputin “Raz” Aquato as he uses familiar psychic powers and some newfound skills to brave the intern program with the Psychonauts, a group of international secret agents.

From Washington Post

To a child pretending to be a secret agent, it’s a handy fake mustache.

From MIT Technology Review

The club is led by Elizabeth, a quick-witted, acerbic former secret agent.

From Washington Post

Those performances were the reason, Hitch said, he was less satisfied with Secret Agent than with Rebecca.

From The Daily Beast

He allegedly claimed he was a secret agent whose job was to protect them from their enemies.

From The Daily Beast

As the war began, he started a series of novels featuring secret agent Gregory Sallust.

From The Daily Beast

The Nazis rated him their best spy in England; the Brits said he was the greatest secret agent of the war.

From The Daily Beast

Hurst has since said the newspaper may have been looking for information about a famous secret agent known as Stakeknife.

From The Daily Beast

About the same time congress sent Deane to France as a secret agent.

From Project Gutenberg

The man who advocates "one big strike" to destroy our capital is the secret agent of starvation.

From Project Gutenberg

To some he said that he was a secret agent of the government, to others that he only meant to start a new pioneer settlement.

From Project Gutenberg

She was a secret agent—there was no doubt—working probably in the service of the Dalmatian government.

From Project Gutenberg

The Government offered me a well paid commission to act as its secret agent.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• informer
• intelligence agent
• operative
• spy
• undercover agent