agent

IPA/ˈeɪdʒənt/
KK[ˈedʒənt]IPA/ˈeɪdʒənt/

agent — noun

  • agentsingular
  • agentsplural

1. someone employed to handle business matters for another person or company — for

1.nounB1
Definition

someone employed to handle business matters for another person or company — for example, booking a singer's tour, selling a house, or arranging insurance — usually in return for a fee or commission.

Example

Farouk called her travel agent to change the date of her flight to Tokyo.

common collocation: travel agent

The Patel family hired a real estate agent to help them sell their old apartment.

common collocation: real estate agent

Common collocations
  • travel agent
  • real estate agent
  • estate agent
  • insurance agent
  • booking agent
  • authorised agent
  • act as an agent
  • through an agent
Synonyms
  • representative

    broader; covers anyone who speaks for another, not only in business deals

  • broker

    specifically arranges deals between two parties (insurance broker, stockbroker)

  • dealer

    buys and sells goods on their own account, not on commission

Antonyms
  • principal

    the person on whose behalf the agent acts (legal/business term)

  • client

    the customer who hires the agent

Grammar Patterns

agent for + organization/person

agent of + company

Usage Note

Often appears in a fixed compound that names the field — travel agent, estate agent, insurance agent, shipping agent. Distinguish from sense 2, which is restricted to managing artists, writers, and athletes.

Common Mistakes

I bought the ticket from a travel office.
I bought the ticket from a travel agent.
the person who books trips for customers is called a 'travel agent', not a 'travel office'.

2. a person who finds work, signs contracts, and arranges publishing deals on behal

2.nounB2
Definition

a person who finds work, signs contracts, and arranges publishing deals on behalf of an entertainer, athlete, or author, usually in return for a percentage of the client's earnings.

Example

The young actress signed with a Hollywood agent two months after her first film.

pattern: sign with + agent

Noa phoned his literary agent to discuss the contract for his new novel.

compound: literary agent

Common collocations
  • literary agent
  • talent agent
  • sports agent
  • Hollywood agent
  • sign with an agent
  • her/his agent
Synonyms
  • manager

    in music and sport, takes a wider role in shaping the client's career, not just finding work

  • representative

    neutral and broader; an agent is a specific kind of representative

Grammar Patterns

someone's agent

literary/sports agent

Usage Note

Subject is almost always a person in entertainment, publishing, or sport. The word 'agent' alone in this context is enough — speakers do not need to add 'talent' or 'literary' if the context is clear.

Common Mistakes

My manager sold my book to a publisher.
My agent sold my book to a publisher.
for writers, the person who finds publishers is called an 'agent'; a 'manager' usually handles day-to-day career decisions.

3. a person who collects information in secret for a government, intelligence servi

3.nounB2
Definition

a person who collects information in secret for a government, intelligence service, or other organisation, often while pretending to be someone else.

Example

During the war, British agents were dropped into France to gather information.

passive: be dropped/sent in

The novel follows a young CIA agent working undercover in Moscow.

compound: CIA/FBI agent

Common collocations
  • secret agent
  • double agent
  • undercover agent
  • CIA agent
  • FBI agent
  • enemy agent
  • foreign agent
Synonyms
  • spy

    more informal and dramatic; emphasises the act of stealing information

  • operative

    neutral, often used in news reporting for trained intelligence staff

  • informant

    someone who passes information to authorities, often without being officially employed

Grammar Patterns

secret/undercover agent

agent for + country/agency

Usage Note

Frequently appears in fixed compounds: 'secret agent', 'double agent', 'undercover agent', 'CIA agent', 'FBI agent'. In American English, 'agent' on its own can also mean a federal officer (e.g. 'an FBI agent investigated the case').

Common Mistakes

James Bond is a famous secret spy.
James Bond is a famous secret agent.
'spy' already implies secrecy; the fixed phrase is 'secret agent', not 'secret spy'.

4. a substance, force, or thing that brings about a particular result or change — f

4.nounC1
Definition

a substance, force, or thing that brings about a particular result or change — for example, a chemical that cleans surfaces, a microbe that causes disease, or a powerful idea that transforms a society.

Example

Bleach is a strong cleaning agent and should never be mixed with other chemicals.

compound: cleaning agent

Scientists identified the virus as the agent responsible for the outbreak in the village.

pattern: agent responsible for + result

Common collocations
  • cleaning agent
  • bleaching agent
  • drying agent
  • chemical agent
  • biological agent
  • infectious agent
  • agent of change
  • active agent
Synonyms
  • substance

    neutral; does not imply that it produces an effect

  • cause

    broader; refers to anything that makes something happen, not specifically a chemical or force

  • catalyst

    speeds up a reaction or change without being consumed itself

Grammar Patterns

a + adjective + agent (cleaning agent, infectious agent)

agent of + change/destruction

Usage Note

Almost always appears with a modifier that names what the substance does: cleaning, drying, bleaching, oxidising, infectious, biological, chemical. The phrase 'agent of change' is a near-fixed metaphor in social and political writing.

Common Mistakes

Soap is a cleaning material.
Soap is a cleaning agent.
in chemistry and product labels, the standard term is 'agent', not 'material'.

5. a piece of software, usually powered by artificial intelligence, that can carry

5.nounC1
Definition

a piece of software, usually powered by artificial intelligence, that can carry out tasks on its own — such as searching the web, booking tickets, or making decisions — without a person guiding each step.

Example

The new AI agent can read your emails and book meetings for you automatically.

compound: AI agent

Engineers at the start-up built a software agent that monitors prices on hundreds of websites.

compound: software agent

Common collocations
  • AI agent
  • software agent
  • intelligent agent
  • autonomous agent
  • agent-based system
  • deploy an agent
Synonyms
  • bot

    informal; often refers to simpler programs like chatbots

  • assistant

    broader; covers any helper software, including ones that wait for instructions

  • program

    general; an agent is a specific kind of program that acts on its own

Grammar Patterns

AI/software agent

agent + verb (decides, performs, books)

Usage Note

Often shortened to just 'agent' in tech writing (e.g. 'an agent that books your travel'). Distinguish from sense 1: a travel agent is a human, while an AI travel agent is a computer program. Context normally makes the difference clear.

Common Mistakes

I asked the AI robot to schedule the meeting.
I asked the AI agent to schedule the meeting.
when talking about software that works on its own, the standard term is 'agent', not 'robot'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe someone who acts in business on behalf of others, but they differ in scope and the kind of relationship involved. An 'agent' acts for a named principal and is usually paid a commission — think of a travel agent or insurance agent. A 'representative' is the broadest of the four: a sales representative speaks for a company, but does not always negotiate or sign contracts. A 'broker' specifically brings two parties together to make a deal — an insurance broker shops around different insurers for the best policy, while a stockbroker buys and sells shares for clients. A 'dealer' is different again: dealers buy goods themselves and resell them at a profit, so a car dealer owns the cars on the lot, whereas a car agent only arranges the sale. Quick test: 'I bought my flight from a travel agent' (acts for me), 'I bought my car from a dealer' (owns the car).

agent ↗representative ↗broker ↗dealer ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • travel agent
  • real estate agent
  • estate agent
  • insurance agent
  • literary agent
  • talent agent
  • sports agent
  • secret agent
  • double agent
  • undercover agent
  • FBI agent
  • CIA agent
  • cleaning agent
  • bleaching agent
  • drying agent
  • biological agent
  • chemical agent
  • infectious agent
  • AI agent
  • software agent
  • free agent

Adverbs

Phrases

  • agent of change
  • act as an agent for
  • sign with an agent
  • work as an agent

Prepositions

  • agent for (a company/country)
  • agent of (change/destruction)
  • through an agent
  • act as an agent

Etymology

LatinLate Middle EnglishModern English

Borrowed into late Middle English from Latin 'agent-, agens', the present participle of 'agere' meaning 'to do, to drive, to act'. The same Latin root gives English 'act', 'action', 'agile', and 'agenda'. The earliest English meaning was simply 'one who acts or produces an effect' (still alive in 'agent of change' and 'cleaning agent'). The 'business representative' meaning developed in the 16th century, the 'spy' meaning from 'secret agent' is recorded from the early 1900s, and the 'AI software' meaning emerged in computer science in the late 20th century.