agency
Americannoun
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an organization, company, or bureau that provides a particular service.
We are a nonprofit agency for people experiencing food insecurity.
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a company having a franchise to represent another.
Perhaps we should be looking for a new advertising agency.
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a governmental bureau or administrative division, or an office that represents it.
My internship at the FDA led to job opportunities with other federal agencies.
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the place of business of an agent.
If you stop by the agency tomorrow, we can go over the details of the land sale.
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the duty or function of an agent.
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the relationship between a principal and an agent.
Investment firms must incentivize proper agency so that fund managers prioritize the investor’s interests over their own.
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the state of being in action or of exerting power; operation.
the agency of divine Providence.
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the capacity to act or exert power.
We may have our free agency, but we are responsible for our choices.
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a means of exerting power or influence; instrumentality.
nominated by the agency of friends.
- Synonyms:
- intercession
noun
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a business or other organization providing a specific service
an employment agency
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the place where an agent conducts business
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the business, duties, or functions of an agent
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action, power, or operation
the agency of fate
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intercession or mediation
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one of the administrative organizations of a government
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of agency
First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin agentia “ability,” from Latin ag(ere) “to do, drive” + -entia -ency
Explanation
An agency usually provides a service, like an aid organization or a government bureau. If you're looking for a job, an employment agency might be able to help. The Latin word agere means "to do or manage," and it's a fitting ancestor for agency, a word that means an institution that manages or specializes in something. As a secret agent, you might work for the CIA, or Central Intelligence Agency. I hope you look good in black. The noun agency also refers to the power or ability to do something, as in the William McKinley quote, "War should never be entered upon until every agency of peace has failed.”
Vocabulary lists containing agency
"The Harlem Renaissance"
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President Obama's Speech on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
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Word Generation Social Studies - Complex Questions Related to American Democracy
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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.
See Examples For:
She is also a model, and recently signed with talent agency WME, according to her Instagram account, which now has 3.4 million followers after the show’s conclusion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Once an agency receives a request, it must respond within 10 days, saying whether the information exists and can be released.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The mall in the town of Kashima was apparently gutted by a gas explosion, a government source told the Kyodo news agency, collapsing ceilings and walls.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
Ex-model Alex says her agency was invited to the band's concert at London's O2 arena in 2013.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
According to the agency, an absolute bar to employment based on prior convictions—without consideration of these factors—violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act if such a bar has a racially disparate impact.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Under Fifa rules, agencies are allowed to sign players to contracts that make them the sole representatives in a country like England for a specific period of time.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Other city agencies continued releasing their records as normal, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
That brings us back to the stipulations the federal agencies filed in the UC researchers’ lawsuit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Third, federal funding agencies like NIH will be required to review funding proposals for potential risky research and flag any proposal with the potential to significantly endanger Americans’ health or security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
We will look the other way and deny our public agencies the resources, data, and tools they need to solve problems.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
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.
