agency
Americannoun
plural
agencies-
an organization, company, or bureau that provides a particular service.
We are a nonprofit agency for people experiencing food insecurity.
-
a company having a franchise to represent another.
Perhaps we should be looking for a new advertising agency.
-
a governmental bureau or administrative division, or an office that represents it.
My internship at the FDA led to job opportunities with other federal agencies.
-
the place of business of an agent.
If you stop by the agency tomorrow, we can go over the details of the land sale.
-
the duty or function of an agent.
-
the relationship between a principal and an agent.
Investment firms must incentivize proper agency so that fund managers prioritize the investor’s interests over their own.
-
the state of being in action or of exerting power; operation.
the agency of divine Providence.
-
the capacity to act or exert power.
We may have our free agency, but we are responsible for our choices.
-
a means of exerting power or influence; instrumentality.
nominated by the agency of friends.
- Synonyms:
- intercession
noun
-
a business or other organization providing a specific service
an employment agency
-
the place where an agent conducts business
-
the business, duties, or functions of an agent
-
action, power, or operation
the agency of fate
-
intercession or mediation
-
one of the administrative organizations of a government
Other Word Forms
- subagency noun
- underagency noun
Etymology
Origin of agency
First recorded in 1650–60; from Medieval Latin agentia “ability,” from Latin ag(ere) “to do, drive” + -entia -ency
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Last week Seoul's spy agency briefed lawmakers that it believes Kim has selected his daughter as his heir, and that she was seen giving her opinion on policy matters.
From BBC
In California, the push runs through multiple agencies:
From Los Angeles Times
To address fraud, Mr. Vance will need officials at the Treasury, Homeland Security and Justice departments and a host of other agencies to cooperate, along with state and local officials.
But the regulator said that state driver’s licensing agencies don’t have the ability to verify foreign drivers’ histories and that this “compromises the agency’s ability to ensure the safety fitness for drivers.”
Grok Talk: Officials at multiple federal agencies have expressed concerns about the safety and reliability of Elon Musk’s xAI tools in recent months, according to people familiar with the matter.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
