middleman

American  

[mid-l-man] / ˈmɪd lˌmæn /

noun

plural

middlemen

1. a person who plays an economic role intermediate between producer and retailer or consumer.

2. a person who acts as an intermediary.

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middleman British  

/ ˈmɪdəlˌmæn /

noun

1. an independent trader engaged in the distribution of goods from producer to consumer

2. an intermediary

3. theatre the interlocutor in minstrel shows

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Etymology

Origin of middleman

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

Example Sentences

Decades of sanctions have prevented Iran from acquiring modern aircraft or parts, forcing reliance on middlemen for maintenance.

From The Wall Street Journal

This could happen when drug manufacturers give incentives to pharmacy-benefit managers—the middlemen between drug companies and insurance plans—to include the pricier drug in the formulary.

From Barron's

And middlemen who deal in goods from Asian factories aren’t always willing to disclose what it really costs to make a sofa or microwave oven.

From The Wall Street Journal

They hold up as an example how credit-card companies may be disintermediated and see margins contract, but merchants and consumers would benefit by this process of eliminating the middleman, allowing economic activity to actually increase.

From MarketWatch

How often does a president have the opportunity to speak to the American people directly, without a middleman?

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• go-between
• mediator
• wholesaler