agent
Americannoun
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agents
plural
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a person or business authorized to act on another's behalf.
Our agent in Hong Kong will ship the merchandise.
A best-selling author needs a good agent.
- Synonyms:
- deputy, representative
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a person or thing that acts or has the power to act.
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a natural force or object producing or used for obtaining specific results.
Many insects are agents of fertilization.
- Synonyms:
- means
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an active cause; an efficient cause.
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a person who works for or manages an agency.
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a person who acts in an official capacity for a government or private agency as a guard, detective, or spy.
an FBI agent;
the secret agents of a foreign power.
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a person responsible for a particular action.
Who was the agent of this deed?
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Grammar. a form or construction, usually a noun or noun phrase, denoting an animate being that performs or causes the action expressed by the verb, as the police in The car was found by the police.
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a representative of a business firm, especially a traveling salesperson; canvasser; solicitor.
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Chemistry. a substance that causes a reaction.
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Pharmacology. a drug or chemical capable of eliciting a biological response.
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Pathology. any microorganism capable of causing disease.
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British. a campaign manager; an election agent.
adjective
verb (used with object)
noun
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a person who acts on behalf of another person, group, business, government, etc; representative
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a person or thing that acts or has the power to act
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a phenomenon, substance, or organism that exerts some force or effect
a chemical agent
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the means by which something occurs or is achieved; instrument
wind is an agent of plant pollination
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a person representing a business concern, esp a travelling salesman
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short for estate agent
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short for secret agent
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of agent
First recorded in 1570–80; from Latin agent-, stem of agēns “doing,” present participle of agere “to do, drive”
Explanation
When you're buying a house or negotiating your break-out movie contract, it's a good idea to hire an agent to represent you — someone who can keep a cool head and get the best deal for you. The suave 007 may be your dream secret agent, but you could find real ones in the CIA, the FBI, and other government organizations populated with agents. Beware the double agent, the spy you think is working for you when he's really working for your enemy. An inanimate object can also be an agent. A chemical agent, like vinegar mixed with salt, can make copper pennies shine. Chemical weapons contain more sinister agents that wreak havoc on their victims.
Vocabulary lists containing agent
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 3
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Academy Awards, List 5
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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:
The rent on the studio was cheap — about $1,500 a month — and the leasing agent, he said, told him he’d probably pay only an additional $50 for utilities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Conspiratorial thinking is a way of explaining uncertainty in the world and claiming that there’s a cause or agent behind whatever is taking place,” Bauer said.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
These are all simple permission-slip-style forms that name a person as an agent to act on behalf of the signer.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Nvidia said the Groq 3 LPX “is purpose-built to extend Vera Rubin’s interactivity—the rate at which tokens are generated for an individual user, determining how quickly an agent can complete each step of its work.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
After my loud pronouncement on the train, that’s where the agent expects me to go.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
In April, the company rolled out general availability for an offering specifically tailored for AI agents, and it has since added several other capabilities focused on the technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
“I can’t blame my lawyers and my agents at that time, but somehow we let ‘Blade Runner’ go,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Also, CEOs want AI agents to read employees’ Slack messages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Robles told parliament that agents of the CNI intelligence service had shared information about a possible imminent migrant crossing with security forces shortly before it happened, but Grande-Marlaska appeared to contradict her.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
If these agents know something about Mom—and they have to or they wouldn’t be here—I need to hear it for myself.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
