agency

noun

agen·​cy ˈā-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce agency (audio)
plural agencies
1
a
: the office or function of an agent (see agent sense 4)
b
: the relationship between a principal and that person's agent
2
: the capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power : operation
3
: a person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved : instrumentality
communicated through the agency of the ambassador
4
: an establishment engaged in doing business for another
an advertising agency
5
: an administrative division (as of a government)
the agency for consumer protection

Examples of agency in a Sentence

the federal agency in charge of printing money The employment agency helps those who have been recently laid off find jobs.
Recent Examples on the Web Tu already has certificates from international agencies for sustainability that will enable him to deal with the EUDR. Aniruddha Ghosal, Fortune Asia, 25 Mar. 2024 Following a joint investigation involving both agencies, officials determined that Tuckett had made dozens of false reports to the sheriff's office regarding a person in their jurisdiction that the suspect knows. Landon Mion, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024 Miami’s first wave of free agency was highlighted by multiple potential low-cost, high-value signings. Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2024 The state agency has averaged about 14 buses per day, transporting migrants from Nogales, Douglas and Casa Grande — another city with a large patrol station — to Tucson and Phoenix, according to Judy Kioski, the spokeswoman for DEMA. Rafael Carranza, The Arizona Republic, 25 Mar. 2024 The Indiana consumer agency said CenterPoint's request should be dropped from nearly $120 million down to $33 million. Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Mar. 2024 While the agency reviews hundreds of sightings annually, attacks on humans by mountain lions are rare. Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024 The agency’s Space Weather Prediction Center first issued a geomagnetic storm watch Saturday, warning that a coronal mass ejection — an explosion of plasma and magnetic material from the sun — was making its way toward Earth. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 The next year, the Trump administration issued a sweeping executive order on combating antisemitism and instructed all agencies to consider the I.H.R.A. definition in examining Title VI complaints. Vimal Patel, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'agency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

ag(ent) + -ency, perhaps after Medieval Latin agentia, derivative of agent-, agens agent

First Known Use

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of agency was in 1640

Dictionary Entries Near agency

Cite this Entry

“Agency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/agency. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

agency

noun
agen·​cy ˈā-jən-sē How to pronounce agency (audio)
plural agencies
1
: the office or function of an agent
2
: a person or thing through which power is used or something is achieved : means
3
: an establishment doing business for another
an insurance agency
4
: a part of a government that manages projects in a certain area
a health agency

Legal Definition

agency

noun
agen·​cy
plural agencies
1
: the person or thing through which power is exerted or an end is achieved
death by criminal agencyW. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.
2
a
: a consensual fiduciary relationship in which one party acts on behalf of and under the control of another in dealing with third parties
also : the power of one in such a relationship to act on behalf of another

Note: A principal is bound by and liable for acts of his or her agent that are within the scope of the agency.

actual agency
: the agency that exists when an agent is in fact employed by a principal see also express agency and implied agency in this entry
agency by estoppel
: an agency that is not created as an actual agency by a principal and an agent but that is imposed by law when a principal acts in such a way as to lead a third party to reasonably believe that another is the principal's agent and the third party is injured by relying on and acting in accordance with that belief

Note: A principal has a duty to correct a third party's mistaken belief in an agent's authority to act on the principal's behalf. If the principal could have corrected the misunderstanding but failed to do so, he or she is estopped from denying the existence of the agency and is bound by the agent's acts in dealing with the third party.

agency coupled with an interest
: an agency in which the agent has an interest in the property regarding which he or she is acting on the principal's behalf
apparent agency
: agency by estoppel in this entry
exclusive agency
: an agency common in real estate sales in which the property owner agrees to employ no agents to sell the property other than the one hired for a specified period
express agency
: an actual agency created by the written or spoken words of the principal authorizing the agent to act compare implied agency in this entry
general agency
: an agency in which the agent is authorized to perform on behalf of the principal in all matters in furtherance of a particular business of the principal compare special agency in this entry
implied agency
: an actual agency created by acts of a principal that reasonably imply an intention to create an agency relationship compare express agency in this entry
ostensible agency
: agency by estoppel in this entry
special agency
: an agency in which the agent is authorized to perform only specified acts or to act only in a specified transaction compare general agency in this entry
universal agency
: general agency in this entry
b
: the office and function of an agent
even when granted discretion in carrying out his agencyR. C. Clark
c
: the law concerned with the relationship of a principal and an agent
3
: an establishment engaged in doing the business of another: as
a
: an establishment authorized by an insurance company to sell insurance policies and provide services offered by the insurer
b
: an establishment authorized by property owners to find a buyer for their property

Note: Many businesses that use the term agency are not truly agencies as defined in sense 2.

4
: a department or other unit of government created by legislation to administer the law in a particular area of public concern

called also administrative agency

see also enabling statute, exhaustion of remedies, Administrative Procedure Act

Note: When a legislature determines that government involvement is needed in a particular social activity or problem, it may write legislation creating an agency either directly or by authorizing the executive to set it up. Agencies exist at the federal, state, and local levels. Most federal agencies are attached to the executive branch of government. Some agencies (such as the Environmental Protection Agency) are called an agency. An agency may, however, be called such other names as board (as the National Labor Relations Board), commission (as the Securities and Exchange Commission), administration (as the Social Security Administration), and service (as the Internal Revenue Service). Agencies at the federal level are governed by the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act, which is found at title 5 of the U.S. Code.

independent agency
: an agency that is not part of any of the three branches of government
regulatory agency
: an agency that is authorized by the legislature to establish and enforce rules regulating its particular area of concern often used interchangeably with agency or administrative agency

More from Merriam-Webster on agency

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