Etimology
From Latin agēns, present active participle of agere (“to drive, lead, conduct, manage, perform, do”).
noun
agent (plural agents)
One who exerts power, or has the power to act
One who acts for, or in the place of, another (the principal), by that person's authority; someone entrusted to do the business of another
A person who looks for work for another person
Someone who works for an intelligence agency
An active power or cause or substance; something (e.g. biological, chemical, thermal, etc.) that has the power to produce an effect
(computing) In the client-server model, the part of the system that performs information preparation and exchange on behalf of a client or server. Especially in the phrase “intelligent agent” it implies some kind of autonomous process which can communicate with other agents to perform some collective task on behalf of one or more humans.
(grammar) The participant of a situation that carries out the action in this situation, e.g. "the boy" in the sentences "The boy kicked the ball" and "The ball was kicked by the boy".
(gambling) A cheat who is assisted by dishonest casino staff.
(usually US) A respectful term of address for an agent, especially a non-police law enforcement agent.
Examples
Seeing we are so wonderfully endowed with priceless gifts by our Heavenly Father, will he not require usury at our hands? He will. But he has made us agents to ourselves, which makes us responsible for the way in which we use the talents he has given us, for the manner we expend the gold and silver, the wheat and fine flour, the cattle upon a thousand hills, and the wine and oil, for they all belong to Him
I see in him [Moby Dick] outrageous strength, with an inscrutable malice sinewing it. That inscrutable thing is chiefly what I hate; and be the white whale agent, or be the white whale principal, I will wreak that hate upon him.
Ronald Koeman has agreed a deal with Everton to become their new manager, his agent has reportedly told Dutch media. The agent Rob Jansen said, according to the popular Voetbal International website, that it was now down to Southampton and Everton to agree a compensation package for the Dutchman, who has a year remaining on his contract at St Mary’s.
So far seems to be the work of chemistry alone; at least we have no right to conclude that any other agent interferes; since hay, when it happens to imbibe moisture, exhibits nearly the same processes."
A verb is typically described as active when its subject is the agent or actor. By contrast, a verb is said to be passive when the subject does not perform the action, but is the patient, target, or undergoer of the action.
Nevada casinos are fleeced out of millions of dollars yearly by agents in collusion with crooked Black Jack dealers and pit bosses.
Related words
synonyms
(one who exerts power): See also Thesaurus:doer
(one who acts in place of another): See also Thesaurus:deputy
(person who looks for work for another person): manager, representative, rep
(someone who works for an intelligence agency): See also Thesaurus:spy
(grammar): actor, performer
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "grammar"): patient, recipient, undergoer
related terms
act
action
agency