middleman

[mid-l-man]

See more synonyms for middleman on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural mid·dle·men.

a person who plays an economic role intermediate between producer and retailer or consumer.
a person who acts as an intermediary.

Origin of middleman

1400–50; late Middle English: maker of girdles; see middle, man¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for middleman

Contemporary Examples

A more recent wrinkle is the doctor who prescribes from his own office, cutting out the middleman (read: pharmacist).
New Study Says Doctors Can’t “Just Say No” to Their Patients
Kent Sepkowitz
March 31, 2014
But it turns out that the manager had received no such recording, due to some middleman botching the exchange.
The Real Life of Llewyn Davis
Nicholas Mancusi
November 7, 2013
Warby Parker's reinvention of the high-priced optical industry relied on one main tactic: cutting out the middleman.
Warby Parker Thrives by Giving Away Glasses Whenever It Sells a Pair
Nina Strochlic
May 7, 2013
As is the case with all secondary markets, however, the middleman usually takes a piece.
What to Do With Unwanted Gift Cards
Nina Strochlic
December 26, 2012
Forget the middleman, and bring his message “straight to the people.”
Paul Ryan, Chris Christie, John McCain, and More Sunday Talk
The Daily Beast Video
September 30, 2012

Historical Examples

These landscape fellows buy their stuff direct, and the middleman's out.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
When the brick-house era sets in, the middleman will be rampant.
In the Midst of Alarms
Robert Barr
The middleman has several and can thus adjust himself quickly.
Herbert Hoover
Vernon Kellogg
The important thing for you is that he is the middleman on whom you depend for the disease.
By the Christmas Fire
Samuel McChord Crothers
We're getting our goods cheap and we're cuttin' off the middleman.
A Spoil of Office
Hamlin Garland

British Dictionary definitions for middleman

middleman

noun plural -men

an independent trader engaged in the distribution of goods from producer to consumer
an intermediary
theatre the interlocutor in minstrel shows

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for middleman

n.

in the trading sense, 1795, from middle + man. From mid-15c. as the name of some type of workman in wire-making. From 1741 as "one who takes a middle course."

middleman

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}middleman

Related Words

Examples from the Web for middleman

Contemporary Examples

A more recent wrinkle is the doctor who prescribes from his own office, cutting out the middleman (read: pharmacist).

But it turns out that the manager had received no such recording, due to some middleman botching the exchange.

Warby Parker's reinvention of the high-priced optical industry relied on one main tactic: cutting out the middleman.

As is the case with all secondary markets, however, the middleman usually takes a piece.

Forget the middleman, and bring his message “straight to the people.”

Historical Examples

These landscape fellows buy their stuff direct, and the middleman's out.

When the brick-house era sets in, the middleman will be rampant.

The middleman has several and can thus adjust himself quickly.

The important thing for you is that he is the middleman on whom you depend for the disease.

We're getting our goods cheap and we're cuttin' off the middleman.

middleman

Word Origin and History for middleman

n.

Origin of middleman