agency
Americannoun
-
agencies
plural
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an organization, company, or bureau that provides a particular service.
We are a nonprofit agency for people experiencing food insecurity.
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a company having a franchise to represent another.
Perhaps we should be looking for a new advertising agency.
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a governmental bureau or administrative division, or an office that represents it.
My internship at the FDA led to job opportunities with other federal agencies.
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the place of business of an agent.
If you stop by the agency tomorrow, we can go over the details of the land sale.
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the duty or function of an agent.
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the relationship between a principal and an agent.
Investment firms must incentivize proper agency so that fund managers prioritize the investor’s interests over their own.
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the state of being in action or of exerting power; operation.
the agency of divine Providence.
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the capacity to act or exert power.
We may have our free agency, but we are responsible for our choices.
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a means of exerting power or influence; instrumentality.
nominated by the agency of friends.
- Synonyms:
- intercession
noun
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a business or other organization providing a specific service
an employment agency
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the place where an agent conducts business
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the business, duties, or functions of an agent
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action, power, or operation
the agency of fate
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intercession or mediation
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one of the administrative organizations of a government
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of agency
First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin agentia “ability,” from Latin ag(ere) “to do, drive” + -entia -ency
Explanation
An agency usually provides a service, like an aid organization or a government bureau. If you're looking for a job, an employment agency might be able to help. The Latin word agere means "to do or manage," and it's a fitting ancestor for agency, a word that means an institution that manages or specializes in something. As a secret agent, you might work for the CIA, or Central Intelligence Agency. I hope you look good in black. The noun agency also refers to the power or ability to do something, as in the William McKinley quote, "War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed.”
Vocabulary lists containing agency
"The Harlem Renaissance"
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President Obama's Speech on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
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Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
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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.
See Examples For:
On 22 September, the UN refugee agency said more than 130,000 people had been displaced across Yemen so far this month, on top of 5.2 million already displaced by the civil war.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
It’s unclear when officers took the suspects into custody, and the agency didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
"Nepal's electricity system, currently strained and heavily dependent on hydropower, could be made more robust through well-planned additions of solar electricity," Germany's development agency GIZ said in a 2024 report.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the new 737 MAX issue and will take action if needed, a senior agency official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
There's always a temp agency or consulting firm that can farm out someone, but it's hit or miss with temp hires, who typically don't really care.
From "How It Went Down" by Kekla Magoon
The findings could become especially important as space agencies prepare for longer missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
The effort to bring home Evan and others unfolded on three continents, involving spy agencies, billionaires and political power players.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
A records request from a Pflugerville resident found that hundreds of agencies across the United States had been using the city’s Flock data.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The state also helped local agencies bring in diesel-powered pumps and other equipment to suck water out of rivers and into canals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
Morgan Stanley’s financial intellectuals—their quants—had been instrumental in teaching the rating agencies, Moody’s and S&P, how to evaluate CDOs on pools of asset-backed bonds.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
