purchasing agent
Americannoun
-
a person who buys materials, supplies, equipment, etc., for a company.
-
an independent buyer acting as a hired agent.
Etymology
Origin of purchasing agent
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
As a first step in this process, the Commissioners Court authorized the county purchasing agent to solicit proposals from companies for a 13-month service agreement for 50 GPS trackers, according to county meeting minutes.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
But Michael Clark, 69, a retired purchasing agent for an oil company who considers himself an independent, said the inquiry “has merit — we need to know the truth whatever the truth may be.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 12, 2019
“He is his own purchasing agent, cashier, paymaster, building superintendent, construction engineer and sales director,” the article said.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 2, 2018
When FBI agents arrested Bahram Mechanic in April last year, prosecutors described the Houston-based Iranian-American entrepreneur as an illegal purchasing agent for Iran’s military and a threat to national security.
From Reuters ● Jan. 21, 2016
Croly Addicks drew his convex face as far away as he could from the concave features of the chief purchasing agent and muttered, "Had kippered herring for breakfast."
From The Sin of Monsieur Pettipon and other humorous tales by Richard Connell
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.