/ ˈeɪdʒənt; NAmE / noun
1.
a person whose job is to act for, or manage the affairs of, other people in business, politics, etc. :
an insurance agent
Our agent in New York deals with all US sales.
—see also estate agent , land agent , travel agent
2.
a person whose job is to arrange work for an actor, musician, sports player etc. or to find sb who will publish a writer's work :
a theatrical / literary agent
—see also press agent
3.
= secret agent :
an enemy agent
—see also double agent , special agent
4.
( formal ) a person or thing that has an important effect on a situation :
The charity has been an agent for social change.
5.
( technical ) a chemical or a substance that produces an effect or a change or is used for a particular purpose :
cleaning / oxidizing agents
6.
( grammar ) the person or thing that does an action (expressed as the subject of an active verb, or in a 'by' phrase with a passive verb)
—compare patient
—see also free agent
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense someone or something that produces an effect ): from Latin agent- doing, from agere .