broker
Americannoun
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an agent who buys or sells for a principal on a commission basis without having title to the property.
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a person who functions as an intermediary between two or more parties in negotiating agreements, bargains, or the like.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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an agent who, acting on behalf of a principal, buys or sells goods, securities, etc, in return for a commission
insurance broker
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(formerly) short for stockbroker
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a dealer in second-hand goods
verb
Other Word Forms
- brokership noun
- subbroker noun
Etymology
Origin of broker
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English broco(u)r, from Anglo-French abrocour, broco(u)r “middleman, wine merchant”; compare Old Provençal abrocador, perhaps based on Spanish alboroque “gift or drink concluding a transaction” (from Arabic al-burūk “the gift, gratuity”), with -ador, from Latin -ātor -ator; alternatively, from Old French brocheor, brokeor “wine merchant,” derivative of broche ( broach ( def. ) )
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.
Longtime regime stalwart Ali Larijani, who heads Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has emerged as a power broker.
Marine insurance companies have been canceling policies for ships traveling through the strait, and 50% price hikes in the next few days are likely, the Financial Times reported on Saturday, citing brokers.
From MarketWatch
The language appeared to promise the end of his problems—a freeze on his water rates and a brokered end to the ski strike—if he signed.
Oil traders and brokers scrambled to assess the extent of the disruption, including whether traffic could still pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital thoroughfare for energy supplies.
Several rounds of negotiations between Pakistan and Afghanistan last year followed a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkey.
From Barron's
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.
