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:
Finance teams can ask the agent about company spending and ask for spend-data analysis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
A Venezuelan citizen shot by a US immigration agent in Texas has been charged with assault and other crimes and faces up to 20 years in prison, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Most significant was the signing of England captain Tony Greig, who effectively acted as an agent.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
Users can only have one Dot agent, although the company plans to allow access to teams of agents in the future.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
I’m near the back of the carriage, but if I’m to lose the agent, I must be first off the train.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
The Department of Homeland Security called the undertaking the “largest DHS operation ever” earlier this year on X, with an estimated 2,000 agents deployed to the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
Ferguson also said the individuals who developed AI agents would be held responsible for any wrongdoing unleashed by the models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
One reason Devitt is still bullish on Amazon is that he believes customers are still likely to start their shopping journeys on Amazon’s site, even as AI agents proliferate.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
And because agents can combine data, tools, memory and other agents across workflows, the report warns, risks can “compound at machine speed.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
In room 360, two agents of MI6 waited with Joe Bulik and a second CIA man, George Kisevalter, who had experience running Soviet agents.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
