Definitions for agent
ˈeɪ dʒəntagent

Princeton's WordNet(4.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. agentnoun

   an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect

   "their research uncovered new disease agents"

2. agentnoun

   a representative who acts on behalf of other persons or organizations

3. agentnoun

   a substance that exerts some force or effect

4. agent, factor, brokernoun

   a businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission

5. agent, federal agentnoun

   any agent or representative of a federal agency or bureau

6. agentive role, agentnoun

   the semantic role of the animate entity that instigates or causes the happening denoted by the verb in the clause

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Agentnoun

   (Biochem., Med.) a chemical substance having biological effects; a drug.

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. agentnoun

   One who exerts power, or has the power to act; an actor.

2. agentnoun

   One who acts for, or in the place of, another (the principal), by authority from him; one intrusted with the business of another; a substitute; a deputy; a factor.

3. agentnoun

   An active power or cause; that which has the power to produce an effect; as, a physical, chemical, or medicinal agent; as, heat is a powerful agent.

4. agentnoun

   In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client or server. Especially in the phrase intelligent agent it implies some kind of autonomous process which can communicate with other agents to perform some collective task on behalf of one or more humans.

5. agentnoun

   The participant of a situation that carries out the action in this situation, e.g. "the boy" in the sentences "The boy kicked the ball" and "The ball was kicked by the boy".

6. Etymology: From agens, present participle of ago

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. AGENTadjective

   That which acts; opposed to patient, or that which is acted upon.

   Etymology: agens, Lat.

   This success is oft truly ascribed unto the force of imagination upon the body agent; and then, by a secondary means, it may upon a diverse body; as, for example, if a man carry a ring, or some part of a beast, believing strongly that it will help him to obtain his love, it may make him more industrious, and again more confident and persisting than otherwise he would be. Francis Bacon, Natural History, №. 902.

2. Agentnoun

   1. An actor; he that acts; he that professes the faculty of action.

   Where there is no doubt, deliberation is not excluded as impertinent unto the thing, but as needless in regard of the agent, which seeth already what to resolve upon. Richard Hooker.

   To whom nor agent, from the instrument,
   Nor pow’r of working, from the work is known. Davies.

   Heav’n made us agents free to good or ill,
   And forc’d it not, tho’ he foresaw the will.
   Freedom was first bestow’d on human race,
   And prescience only held the second place. Dryden.

   A miracle is a work exceeding the power of any created agent, consequently being an effect of the divine omnipotence. Robert South, Sermons.

   2. A substitute; a deputy; a factor; a person employed to transact the business of another.

   —— All hearts in love, use your own tongues;
   Let every eye negotiate for itself,
   And trust no agent. William Shakespeare.

   They had not the wit to send to them, in any orderly fashion, agents or chosen men, to tempt them, and to treat with them. Francis Bacon, Henry VII.

   Remember, Sir, your fury of a wife,
   Who, not content to be reveng’d on you,
   The agents of your passion will pursue. John Dryden, Aureng.

   3. That which has the power of operating, or producing effects upon another thing.

   They produced wonderful effects, by the proper application of agents to patients. William Temple.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Agentadjective

   acting; -- opposed to patient, or sustaining, action

2. Agentnoun

   one who exerts power, or has the power to act; an actor

3. Agentnoun

   one who acts for, or in the place of, another, by authority from him; one intrusted with the business of another; a substitute; a deputy; a factor

4. Agentnoun

   an active power or cause; that which has the power to produce an effect; as, a physical, chemical, or medicinal agent; as, heat is a powerful agent

5. Etymology: [L. agens, agentis, p. pr. of agere to act; akin to Gr. to lead, Icel. aka to drive, Skr. aj. 2.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Agent

   In linguistics, a grammatical agent is the cause or initiator of an event. Agent may also be the name of the thematic role. The word comes from the present participle agens, agentis of the Latin verb agere, to "do" or "make".

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Agent

   āj′ent, n. a person or thing that acts or exerts power: any natural force acting on matter: one authorised or delegated to transact business for another.—n. Ag′ency, the office or business, operation or action, of an agent; instrumentality.—Law agent, a general term in Scotland, including Writers to the Signet, Solicitors to the Supreme Court, and Procurators in the sheriff courts—the requirements are an indentured apprenticeship of five years to a law agent, the passing of examinations in general knowledge and in law, and formal admission by the Court of Session. [L. agĕre, to do. See Act.]

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. agent

   In intelligence usage, one who is authorized or instructed to obtain or to assist in obtaining information for intelligence or counterintelligence purposes.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. agent

   In physics, expresses that by which a thing is done or effected.--Navy agent is a deputy employed to pass accounts, transact business, and receive pay or other monies, in behoof of the officers and crew, and to apply the proceeds as directed by them.--Agent victuallers, officers appointed to the charge of provisions at our foreign ports and stations, to contract for, buy, and regulate, under the authority of the commissioners of the navy. (See NEGLIGENCE.)--Prize agent, one appointed for the sale of prizes, and nominated in equal numbers by the commander, the officers, and the ship's company.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. agent

   A person that represents a business, company or organization.

   The customer service agent was helpful, understanding and kind.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Causal Agent
   • Representative
   • Semantic Role
   • Substance

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'agent' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2379

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'agent' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3013

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'agent' in Nouns Frequency: #590

Anagrams for agent »

1. Tegan

How to pronounce agent?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say agent in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of agent in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of agent in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of agent in a Sentence

1. Chris Cabrera:

   Someone called in and started out reporting some sort of activity, and the call then turned into threats against law enforcement, threats against the dispatcher, and ultimately threats against law enforcement in general, he then claimed to have an agent that was kidnapped that he planned to kill, and he claimed to work for one of the cartels.

2. John Demers:

   We have to have an evidentiary basis to say, when you act, would-be-reporter, you're actually acting at the direction of your government and you don't have an independent journalistic ethos that we think of when we look at a reporter, in fact, not labeling you as a foreign agent is misleading because you're presenting yourself to the American people as somebody who's independent and thinking your own thoughts but you're not, you're getting your thoughts from a foreign government.

3. Michael Douglas:

   Most of my career has been R-rated, my children haven’t seen most of my pictures. But when I told my son about ‘Ant-Man,’ he said, ‘Dad, you have to do this.’ He was like my agent. I’m glad I took his advice. It turned out really well.

4. Loretta Lynch:

   He said it's clear to me that there is a cadre of senior people in New York who have a deep and visceral hatred of Secretary Clinton, i'm just troubled that this issue, meaning the, the New York agent issue and leaks, I am just troubled that this issue has put us where we are today with respect to this laptop.

5. Yulia Skripal:

   Out of 99 percent, I have maybe 1 percent hope, whatever [nerve agent] was used, it has given them a very small chance of survival. But they’re going to be invalids for the rest of their lives.

Popularity rank by frequency of use