broker
Americannoun
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brokers
plural
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an agent who buys or sells for a principal on a commission basis without having title to the property.
-
a person who functions as an intermediary between two or more parties in negotiating agreements, bargains, or the like.
verb (used with object)
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brokers,
present (3rd person singular)
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brokered,
past participle, past
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brokering
present participle
verb (used without object)
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brokers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
brokered,
past participle, past
-
brokering
present participle
noun
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an agent who, acting on behalf of a principal, buys or sells goods, securities, etc, in return for a commission
insurance broker
-
(formerly) short for stockbroker
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a dealer in second-hand goods
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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brokersimple
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brokerssimple
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have brokeredperfect
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has brokeredperfect
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am brokeringprogressive
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are brokeringprogressive
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is brokeringprogressive
-
have been brokeringperfect progressive
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has been brokeringperfect progressive
Past
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brokeredsimple
-
had brokeredperfect
-
was brokeringprogressive
-
were brokeringprogressive
-
had been brokeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of broker
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English broco(u)r, from Anglo-French abrocour, broco(u)r “middleman, wine merchant”; compare Old Provençal abrocador, perhaps based on Spanish alboroque “gift or drink concluding a transaction” (from Arabic al-burūk “the gift, gratuity”), with -ador, from Latin -ātor -ator; alternatively, from Old French brocheor, brokeor “wine merchant,” derivative of broche ( see broach ( def. ))
Explanation
A broker is someone who buys or sells for someone else for a commission. You may go to a real estate company to get a broker to help you buy a house. In Middle English broker meant "peddler or retailer." Nowadays a broker still sells things — but she's acting as an agent making deals for someone else and collecting a commission for all that work. Used as a verb, broker means to arrange a deal or negotiate. Working for an advisory firm, a broker may convince you to invest in a company — so the broker would broker a business deal.
Vocabulary lists containing broker
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for February 27–March 5, 2021
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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:
Lauren Spiegel of Douglas Elliman represented the seller in the transaction, while records indicate that Cuomo did not use a buyer’s broker.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“It adds a massive resource offering strategic options,” the broker says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But after golf influencer Dave Fink revealed evidence of the broker network to his viewers, the problem became public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The prime minister noted AI will "multiply" existing threats, and pitched the UK as an "honest broker" on the technology.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Now painfully awake, the broker drank a strong black coffee and rued his change of fortune.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
Simon Andriesz, a former senior employee of BGC Partners - the international firm of financial brokers founded and run by Lutnick before his appointment by US President Donald Trump - died last month in Thailand.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
This would ensure that any advice would be free from conflicts of interest by commission-driven brokers or advisers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The state legislation is a response to a network of brokers that had sprouted up around Los Angeles municipal golf course tee times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Additionally, the fact that yields have now been high for several years, tracing back to 2022, means that brokers already aren’t relying as much on cash lying around.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Mavens are really information brokers, sharing and trading what they know.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
Sir Richard said the 2015 deal was "brokered by the UK government with the UAE government".
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Pretoria peace agreement of 2022, brokered by African institutions and Washington, was never fully implemented but still helped keep some kind of peace until last year.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
During the Covid pandemic, he brokered a partnership between federal researchers and more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies that helped produce effective vaccines in less than a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
He recently brokered a deal for a maker of water treatment chemicals in Pittsburg, Calif., to sell hydrogen, one of its byproducts, to transit agencies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Historians have emphasized the several compromises the delegates in Philadelphia brokered to produce the constitutional consensus: the interest of large versus small states; federal versus state jurisdiction; the sectional bargain over slavery.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Jesus was not brokering a deal between two powers.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
More recently, the Vatican played a pivotal role in brokering a diplomatic thaw between the U.S. and Cuba in 2014.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
Many states seek good relations with both sides to play a mediating role -- hosting talks or brokering the return of children.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
European leaders and the prime minister of Pakistan, which is brokering U.S.-Iran talks, warned that the operations could be putting the truce at risk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
“But I have access to Madoc. I have access to Balekin. I’m our best shot at brokering a deal.”
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
