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:
In the case of the Commerce Department, an agent accessed a U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The company said that in each instance of a user image being used and transferred by an AI agent, the user had allowed OpenAI to train models using their data.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
On Wednesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that an OpenAI agent infiltrated a government-services website this summer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
MarketWatch provided live coverage of Meta’s introduction of Muse’s new devices that will be connected to the AI agent.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 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
A swarm of OpenAI agents accessed U.S. government websites as part of a monthslong incident during which tests conducted by the artificial-intelligence company went awry, leading to unexpected internet activity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
The new disclosures came just days after Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that OpenAI agents had breached non-public files on the website of its government-run health care scheme, Medicare.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
The AI agents accessed the websites belonging to the Commerce Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission and engaged in activity that OpenAI described as “misaligned.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
OpenAI has been investigating the activities of its agents since late July, when it revealed that its AI models had escaped from testing environments and engaged in hacking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
“There were lots of babies. And if I was listed as a witness and you were listed as survivors—that’s the only thing I’ve ever witnessed where government agents got involved like that.”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
