middleman

[ mid-l-man ]

/ ˈmɪd lˌmæn /

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.

Nearby words

middlebreaker, middlebrow, middleburg heights, middlebuster, middlehand, middleman, middlemarch, middlemost, middlesborough, middlesbrough, middlescence

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for middlemen

This gambit means Aereo is avoiding paying anything to broadcasters or the middlemen it is replacing.
What the Aereo Decision Means for You|Kyle Chayka|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Literary agents are the middlemen between writers and publishing houses.
The Victims of the Penguin & Random House Merger: Literary Agents|Ella Delany|November 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The company has amassed more than 70 worldwide resellers, middlemen like GoDaddy, who have pumped up sales volume.
How “.XXX,” Porn’s Domain Name, Made Hundreds of Millions|Alex Klein|November 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There are no middlemen, no merchants to merchandise, no retailers to reinterpret.
Chanel, Armani, and Givenchy Present Their Haute-Couture Collections in Paris|Robin Givhan|July 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Finally, the compensation was made payable in London, so that the farmers sold their claims at reduced prices to middlemen.
The War in South Africa|Arthur Conan Doyle
The rivalries of jobbers and middlemen in different cities are inevitably borne into the offices of traffic managers.
Railroads: Rates and Regulations|William Z. Ripley
The middlemen were to fit into this scheme as best they could.
The Iron Ration|George Abel Schreiner
The wool is purchased by middlemen, and taken to Kashmir for manufacture.
The Animal World, A Book of Natural History|Theodore Wood
The same process will likely apply to middlemen of goods and services.
After the Rain|Sam Vaknin

British Dictionary definitions for middlemen

middleman

/ (ˈmɪdəlˌmæn) /

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

middleman

noun, plural mid·dle·men.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of middleman

Examples from the Web for middlemen

British Dictionary definitions for middlemen

middleman

noun plural -men