agency

American  

[ey-juhn-see] / ˈeɪ dʒən si /

noun

plural

agencies

1. an organization, company, or bureau that provides a particular service.

   We are a nonprofit agency for people experiencing food insecurity.

2. a company having a franchise to represent another.

   Perhaps we should be looking for a new advertising agency.

3. 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.

4. the place of business of an agent.

   If you stop by the agency tomorrow, we can go over the details of the land sale.

5. Indian agency.

6. the duty or function of an agent.

7. 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.

8. the state of being in action or of exerting power; operation.

   the agency of divine Providence.

9. the capacity to act or exert power.

   We may have our free agency, but we are responsible for our choices.

10. a means of exerting power or influence; instrumentality.

    nominated by the agency of friends.

    Synonyms:

    intercession

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agency British  

/ ˈeɪdʒənsɪ /

noun

1. a business or other organization providing a specific service

   an employment agency

2. the place where an agent conducts business

3. the business, duties, or functions of an agent

4. action, power, or operation

   the agency of fate

5. intercession or mediation

6. one of the administrative organizations of a government

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Other Word Forms

• subagency
  noun
• underagency
  noun

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.”

Example Sentences

It comes as the UK's Health Security Agency said two British people were self-isolating at home in the UK after potential exposure to the virus on the ship.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

Global oil supply dropped by 10.1 million barrels per day to 97 million barrels per day in March, according to the International Energy Agency.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

For decades, a small program in the Environmental Protection Agency conducted the painstaking scientific work of assessing the toxicity of chemicals.

From Salon • May 5, 2026

The fossil fuel sector -- oil, gas and coal -- accounts for 35 percent of methane emissions from human activity, the International Energy Agency said in a report on Monday.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Dr. Philobosian had stayed a month in the hospital at Ellis Island, after which, with sponsorship from the Armenian Relief Agency, he had been admitted into the country.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• bureau
• company
• department
• firm
• office