agents

"Agents" is the plural of "agent" — a word with several useful meanings. At its core, it always refers to something or someone that *acts* or *does something* on behalf of another, or that causes an effect. Here are the most common senses you will encounter.

1nounrepresentative

An agent is a person who acts on behalf of someone else — they handle business, negotiations, or deals for another person. Think of it like having someone speak and act in your name.

business, entertainment, everyday language · Modern, widely used

The actor hired an agent to negotiate his contracts with film studios.

Our travel agent booked all the flights and hotels for our trip.

She signed with a literary agent who helped her sell her novel to a publisher.

2nounspy or operative

In the world of intelligence and government, an agent is a person who works secretly, often for a government agency, to gather information or carry out special missions. You probably know this sense from spy movies!

government, intelligence, fiction · Modern, widely used

The secret agents were sent to gather information about the enemy's plans.

She worked as an undercover agent for the FBI for five years.

The government deployed agents to monitor suspicious activity at the border.

3nouncause or substance

In science and formal language, an agent is something — not necessarily a person — that produces an effect or causes a change. It could be a chemical, a force, or even a disease.

science, medicine, formal language · Modern, used in technical contexts

Bleach is a cleaning agent that kills bacteria on surfaces.

The virus was identified as the causative agent of the disease.

Certain chemical agents can be harmful if inhaled.

4nounreal estate agent

In everyday life, people often use 'agent' as a short form of 'real estate agent' — a professional who helps people buy, sell, or rent properties.

real estate, everyday language · Modern, widely used

We contacted several agents before finding one who understood our budget.

The agents showed us five different apartments in the city.

Our agent negotiated a lower price for the house we wanted.

5noundoer of an action (grammar)

In grammar, the agent is the person or thing that performs the action in a sentence. For example, in 'The dog bit the man,' the dog is the agent because it is doing the biting.

grammar, linguistics · Academic, used in language study

In a passive sentence, the agent is often introduced with the word 'by', as in 'The cake was eaten by the children.'

Students learn to identify the agent and the patient in a sentence.

The agent of the verb 'wrote' in 'She wrote the letter' is 'she'.