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

• broker
• buffer
• conciliator
• go-between
• honest broker
• interceder
• intercessor
• intermediary
• intermediate
• interposer
• mediator
• peacemaker

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

The decision to sell to one or another middleman often hinges on small price differences. —Rodney Muhumuza, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025

Unlike Watergate, when a smoking gun tape implicated President Richard Nixon, to many, the 1980s scandal seemed a blur of byzantine Cold War diplomacy, opaque Swiss bank accounts, and a large cast of forgettable middlemen. —Time, 14 May 2025

Wholesale prices are the costs distributors pay to farmers or middlemen. —David Goldman, CNN Money, 13 May 2025

Nearly everyone down the line — drugmakers, pharmacies, wholesalers and middlemen — opposes most tariffs. —Jackie Fortiér, NPR, 13 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