agent
Pluralagents
- 1A person who is allowed to do business or make decisions for someone else.
Like someone you trust to shop for you when you cannot go yourself.
Her agent signed the contract while she was traveling abroad.
We asked an agent to manage the sale of our house.
UsageUse agent for to name who someone represents: “He is an agent for the buyer.”
Similarrepresentative, proxy, delegate, deputy
Oppositeprincipal
Note
- 2Something that causes a change or effect, like a chemical or a germ.
Like the spark that starts a fire: it makes something happen.
Bleach is a strong cleaning agent that kills germs.
Heat acted as the agent that changed the metal's shape.
UsageOften cleaning agent or chemical agent.
Note
- 3A person who secretly gathers information for a country's spy service.
Like a hidden helper who quietly collects secrets for one side.
The agent passed secret documents to her handler in the park.
A foreign agent had been watching the embassy for weeks.
UsageOften secret agent or double agent.
- 4A person who finds jobs for someone and arranges the deal with the employer.
Like a helper who finds work for you and sorts out the pay.
The player's agent negotiated a transfer to a bigger club.
Her agent found her a part in a new film.
UsageOften literary agent or sports agent.
Similarrepresentative
- 5A polite way to address a law enforcement officer who is not a police officer.
Like saying "Officer" to a police officer instead of using their name.
Good morning, Agent. The files are on your desk.
Agent Lopez, please follow me to the interview room.
UsageSay Agent plus a last name, or just Agent.
Note
- 6A program that handles tasks for a user or another program on a computer.
Like a waiter who takes your order and brings back what you asked for.
The email agent checks for new messages every minute.
A software agent collects data and sends it to the server.
UsageOften software agent or AI agent.
Note
- 7A person or thing that can act and make things happen.
Like a player in a game who decides their own moves.
Every person is an agent capable of choosing what to do.
Machines are not agents, because they cannot decide for themselves.
UsageOften moral agent: someone who can choose and is responsible for what they do.
Similaractor
Note
Less common meanings
- 8The person or thing that does the action in a sentence.
Like the "doer" in a sentence: the one making the action happen.
In that sentence, the dog is the agent because it did the chasing.
The agent is whoever performs the action you are describing.
Oppositepatient
Note
- 9A cheater who is helped by dishonest casino workers.
Practice
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Origin
From Latin agere, meaning "to do, lead, or manage."
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Agent derives from Latin agere, through its present participle agens. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin agere means to do, lead, or manage. en.wiktionary.org