agency

noun

ˈā-jən(t)-sē How to pronounce agency (audio)
Definition of agencynext
1
as in department
a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization the federal agency charged with enforcing laws and regulations regarding the use of firearms

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in agent
something used to achieve an end by what agency do you plan to acquire this fortune?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of agency So far this year, employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — have been adding an average of 68,000 jobs a month. — Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 Jason Weida Then the secretary of the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, Weida worked with the agency’s co-counsel, Andrew Sheeran, on the $67 million Medicaid settlement. — Liv Caputo Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 The next governor will choose who leads the agency from a list of recommendations from a legislative commission. — Caroline Cummings, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Mortgage decisions draw from federal requirements, agency rules, state and county regulations, loan-program guidelines, borrower documentation, and lender-specific overlays. — Ethan Stone, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for agency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agency
  1. department
  2. agent
  3. bureau
  4. instrumentality
  5. office
  6. means
  7. service
  8. vehicle
Noun
  • In January 2025, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch changed the department pursuit policy, barring cops from chasing after vehicles fleeing car stops unless a felony crime or a violent misdemeanor was committed.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The high amount of overtime at the mental health department is related mainly to nurses working at the state’s mental health hospitals, Whiting and Connecticut Valley Hospital, which are both in Middletown.
    — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of department
Noun
  • Anyone seeking to hold federal agents accountable must be prepared for a long wait, says Borchetta.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Child welfare agents said abuse may have occurred, but the perpetrator was unknown, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post.
    — Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of agent
Noun
  • There have been reports of internal strife at the London bureau at CBS News over the tone of its Middle East coverage since Bari Weiss, a strong supporter of Israel, took over as the network’s editor in chief last year.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Journalists from the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald, who work jointly in a shared bureau in Tallahassee, were pursuing those questions, too.
    — Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of bureau
Noun
  • Advertisement The war on terror represented a failed effort to impose a unipolar order on the world, one that could no longer rely on the economic instrumentality of globalization alone.
    — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Issued by the Wyoming Stable Token Commission, a state instrumentality created under the Wyoming Stable Token Act (2023), FRNT is fully reserved and managed in partnership with Franklin Templeton.
    — Jason Brett, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of instrumentality
Noun
  • The first practical transformer was switched on about 15 miles down the road, in 1886, when William Stanley lit stores and offices lining Great Barrington’s Main Street.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • To further explore how CMOs and CFOs are collaborating to drive growth, register to join Fortune’s Creativity Meets Capital Breakfast on Thursday 26 November, 9am–12pm, at LinkedIn’s London office.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of office
Noun
  • Analysts attributed elevated gas prices to ongoing fighting in the Middle East, which has damaged oil infrastructure and forced firms to take up costly means of transporting crude.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Only Washington, North Carolina and Oregon tracked rejection rates with enough detail to distinguish ballots received in the mail from those received by some other means, like a ballot drop box.
    — Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of means
Noun
  • Metal forks are stored handles downward and plastic forks are positioned both directions for patron self service.
    — NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • These tools are primarily used by those who make less than $50,000 according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office report, with food and rent being the key reasons people use the service, one case study of food and restaurant workers found.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of service
Noun
  • Rioters burned close to 6,000 vehicles and damaged over 1,000 buildings.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In December 2024, researchers revealed that location information associated with around 800,000 vehicles from Volkswagen Group brands had been left accessible online.
    — Mike McRae October 20, New Atlas, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of vehicle

Browse Nearby Words

agencies
agency
agenda
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Cite this Entry

“Agency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agency. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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