Definition

Noun: A person who is secretly employed by a government or organization to collect confidential information about rival countries, groups, or individuals, typically through espionage.

Usage

This term refers specifically to an individual whose covert profession is gathering intelligence. It is a formal and official term, often used in political, military, and security contexts. - The intelligence agent successfully infiltrated the organization. - Her cover as a diplomat protected her identity as an intelligence agent.

Advanced Usage

• "to run an intelligence agent": To manage or be the handler for an agent's operations.
  • The colonel was responsible for running the intelligence agent in the field.

Variants and Related Words

• Agent (noun): A shorter, more general term often used interchangeably in context.
  • The agent filed a detailed report.
• Intelligence officer (noun): A similar term, sometimes implying a higher rank or a more formal position within an intelligence agency.

Synonyms

• Spy: A more common and general synonym.
• Operative: Often used to denote an agent engaged in active missions.
• Secret agent: A term emphasizing the covert nature of the work.

Related Phrases

• Undercover agent: An agent working in disguise within a target group.
  • He lived for years as an undercover agent.
• Field agent: An agent who collects information directly in operational areas, as opposed to working from an office.
  • The field agent transmitted the data from a secure location.

Related Idioms

• A mole: An idiom for an intelligence agent who has deeply infiltrated an enemy organization over a long period.
  • They discovered a mole had been leaking secrets for a decade.

Noun

1. a person secretly employed in espionage for a government