agent // noun [C]

BARGAINING AGENT, BOOKING AGENT, BUSINESS AGENT, BUYING AGENT, CHANGE AGENT, CLEARING AGENT, COMMERCIAL AGENT, COMMISSION AGENT, CUSTOMS AGENT, DEL CREDERE AGENT, ECONOMIC AGENT, ESTATE AGENT, EXPORT AGENT, FORWARDING AGENT, FREE AGENT, INSURANCE AGENT, MANAGING AGENT, PATENT AGENT, PAYING AGENT, PRESS AGENT, REAL ESTATE AGENT, SHIPPING AND FORWARDING AGENT, SHIPPING AGENT, SHOPPING AGENT, SOLE AGENT, SUBAGENT, TIED AGENT, TRAVEL AGENT

1

a person or a company that is paid by another person or company to do business for them, especially in discussing a contract, buying or selling, or finding work in entertainment or publishing:

The director was acting as agent for the shareholders in trying to sell their shares.

You can hire an agent to negotiate on your behalf.

Top athletes wouldn't think of negotiating a contract without a high-powered agent.

⇨ PRINCIPAL

2

a person who sells a service or product for one or more companies:

an independent insurance agent

The company has 31 overseas agents and distributors.

There have been complaints over the methods of some of their sales agents.

WHICH WORD?

agent/broker/sales representative/dealer

All these people have jobs that involve buying or selling things.

An agent is given authority to carry out a particular piece of business on somebody's behalf. For example, an estate agent (AmE real estate agent) is given authority to sell a house for somebody.

A broker is usually a person who buys and sells investments or financial products on behalf of others:

Ask your broker to explain the difference between the mortgages.

Both agents and brokers work independently or as part of their own companies (called agencies and brokerages) and receive a fee for their services.

Dealers usually buy and sell a particular type of product:

an art/a car/diamond dealer.

A sales representative (often shortened to representative, or more informally, a sales rep or rep) works as an employee of a company, selling their goods or services to people in a particular area:

We have representatives in over 50 countries.

• public holiday
• public issue
• publicist
• publicity
• publicity stunt
• publicize
• public law
• public liability
• public limited company
• publicly-held
• publicly traded
• public offering
• public-private
• public-private partnership
• public relations
• public sale
• public sector
• public sector borrowing requirement
• public servant
• public service
• public service vehicle
• public spending
• public transport
• public warehouse
• public works