middleman

noun

mid·​dle·​man ˈmi-dᵊl-ˌman 

: an intermediary or agent between two parties

especially : a dealer, agent, or company intermediate between the producer of goods and the retailer or consumer

Synonyms

• intermediary
• mediator
• broker
• negotiator
• liaison
• ambassador
• buffer

Examples of middleman in a Sentence

The Internet helps consumers save money by buying products directly from companies and eliminating the middleman.

We've cut out the middleman and can reduce prices for our customers.

He acted as the middleman in the talks between labor and management.

Recent Examples on the Web

Genius will remain the middleman between the NFL’s official data feed and sportsbooks looking to build markets off the fastest possible in-game information. —Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 11 June 2025

UCHealth has sued thousands of patients using third parties or debt collection middlemen in recent years, a practice that is examined in new research by academics at the George Washington University Law School, Stanford University’s Clinical Excellence Research Center and Fisher’s group. —Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 30 May 2025

Altman is trying to cut out the middleman and condense digital life into a single, unified piece of hardware and software. —Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025

But music doesn’t exist without an audience, and so far there appears to be no effective way to cut out the corporate middleman in reaching one. —Nate Rogers, Vulture, 22 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for middleman

• businessman
• canavan
• caravan
• constantan
• dragoman
• fisherman
• handyman
• harmattan
• journeyman
• marianne
• minivan
• minuteman

Kids Definition

middleman

noun

mid·​dle·​man ˈmid-ᵊl-ˌman 

: go-between

especially : a dealer between the producer of goods and the consumer