agent (agents plural )
1 n-count An agent is a person who looks after someone else's business affairs or does business on their behalf. (BUSINESS)
(=representative, rep)
You are buying direct, rather than through an agent.
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estate agent
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press agent
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travel agent
2 n-count An agent in the arts world is a person who gets work for an actor or musician, or who sells the work of a writer to publishers.
3 n-count An agent is a person who works for a country's secret service.
All these years he's been an agent for the East.
4 n-count A chemical that has a particular effect or is used for a particular purpose can be referred to as a particular kind of agent. supp N ...the bleaching agent in white flour.
agent provocateur (agents provocateurs plural )An agent provocateur is a person who is employed by the government or the police to encourage certain groups of people to break the law, so they can arrest them or make them lose public support. n-count
Agents provocateurs may seek to discredit the opposition.
double agent (double agents plural )A double agent is someone who works as a spy for a particular country or organization, but who also works for its enemies. n-count
estate agent (estate agents plural )An estate agent is someone who works for a company that sells houses and land for people.
(BRIT) n-count
in AM, use Realtor, real estate agent
free agent (free agents plural )
1 n-count If you say that someone is a free agent, you are emphasizing that they can do whatever they want to do, because they are not responsible to anyone or for anyone.
We are not free agents; we abide by the decisions of our president.
2 n-count If a sports player is a free agent, he or she is free to sign a contract with any team.
(AM)
nerve agent (nerve agents plural )A nerve agent is a chemical weapon that affects people's nervous systems. n-mass
press agent (press agents plural )A press agent is a person who is employed by a famous person to give information about that person to the press. n-count oft with poss
publicity agent (publicity agents plural )A publicity agent is a person whose job is to make sure that a large number of people know about a person, show, or event so that they are successful. n-count
secret agent (secret agents plural )A secret agent is a person who is employed by a government to find out the secrets of other governments. n-count
travel agent (travel agents plural )
1 n-count A travel agent or travel agent's is a shop or office where you can go to arrange a holiday or journey.
He worked in a travel agent's.
2 n-count A travel agent is a person or business that arranges people's holidays and journeys.
