special agent
Americannoun
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an investigator in a law enforcement agency.
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an insurance sales representative.
Etymology
Origin of special agent
An Americanism dating back to 1830–40
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.
“This investigation and seizure represent a significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel,” said Kevin Murphy, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, in a statement Monday.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
“They didn’t discriminate on who they hated,” Mark Remer, the FBI special agent in charge, told reporters last week.
From Slate • May 26, 2026
Jennifer Runyan, FBI special agent in charge of the Detroit office, said the incident was "deeply, disturbing and tragic".
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Alex Doran, the acting special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Antonio, said it was too early to know the shooter’s motive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026
One day in the summer of 1925, Tom White, the special agent in charge of the Bureau of Investigation’s field office in Houston, received an urgent order from headquarters in Washington, D.C.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
