Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person or company that acts on behalf of another person, group, or business: An agent represents someone else's interests, often in business or legal matters.
   • A person or thing that produces a specific effect or change: An agent is the active cause or means by which something happens.
   • A representative of a government or organization: An agent can be someone who works for and represents an official agency.
   • In linguistics, the semantic role of the doer of an action: The agent is the entity that performs the action of a verb.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Representative):
  • She hired a real estate agent to help sell her house.
  • The actor's agent negotiated a new contract for him.
• Noun (Cause or Means):
  • Soap is a cleaning agent.
  • The agent of change in this reaction is heat.
• Noun (Government/Organization Representative):
  • An FBI agent was assigned to the case.
  • The insurance agent explained the policy details.

Advanced Usage

• "Double agent": A spy who pretends to work for one country while secretly working for another.
  • The novel features a dangerous double agent.
• "Free agent": A person, especially a professional athlete, who is free to make their own choices and is not under contract.
  • After his contract ended, he became a free agent.

Variants and Related Words

• Agency (n): An organization or business that provides a particular service.
  • She works for a travel agency.
• Agential (adj): Relating to or being an agent.
  • (Technical term, e.g., in linguistics)
• Co-agent (n): A person who works jointly as an agent with another.
• Sub-agent (n): An agent appointed by another agent.

Synonyms

• Representative: A person chosen to act and speak for others.
• Delegate: A person sent to represent others, especially at a conference.
• Factor: (Archaic) An agent, particularly in business.
• Catalyst: Something that causes an important event to happen; a specific type of agent in chemistry.

Related Phrasal Verbs / Constructions

• To act as an agent for: To perform the duties of a representative.
  • He acts as an agent for several foreign companies.

Related Idioms

• A secret agent: A spy.
  • The movie is about a British secret agent.

Noun

1. the semantic role of the animate entity that instigates or causes the happening denoted by the verb in the clause
2. any agent or representative of a federal agency or bureau
3. a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission
4. a substance that exerts some force or effect
5. a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations
6. an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
   • their research uncovered new disease agents