1
as in instrumentality
something used to achieve an end
the whitening agent in the detergent is chlorine bleach the Church has been the traditional agent for social justice in impoverished countries
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in deputy
a person who acts or does business for another
the sports agent negotiated a record-breaking contract for the baseball player
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in ambassador
a person sent on a mission to represent another
an undercover agent of the Crown
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in spy
a person who tries secretly to obtain information for one country in the territory of another usually unfriendly country
an agent feeding information about enemy troop movements
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of agent
Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan will face trial on federal charges for allegedly obstructing immigration agents.
—
Daniel Bice, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Safety does not mean being handcuffed and detained by federal agents in front of a high school for no apparent reason, which is what recently happened to a fifteen-year-old boy with disabilities in Los Angeles.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Controls prevent agents from going rogue.
—Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Experts voiced concerns about this emerging threat this week after testing from a leading AI chatbot vendor revealed that AI browser agents can be successfully tricked into harmful actions nearly a quarter of the time.
—Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agent
Daniel Bice, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Safety does not mean being handcuffed and detained by federal agents in front of a high school for no apparent reason, which is what recently happened to a fifteen-year-old boy with disabilities in Los Angeles.
—Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Controls prevent agents from going rogue.
—Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Experts voiced concerns about this emerging threat this week after testing from a leading AI chatbot vendor revealed that AI browser agents can be successfully tricked into harmful actions nearly a quarter of the time.
—Benj Edwards, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for agent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agent
Noun
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They are left wielding the tools of instrumentality: in-groups and cliques, buying effort through more money, coercive employment agreements and suits against whistleblowers.—
Dave Winsborough,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
Holding the weight of cotton’s influence on the world, and thus the instrumentality of Black labor, is painful, yet necessary work.—
Cierra Black,
Essence,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
If the agency decides to pursue a full investigation, the release of any records related to the investigation will likely take three to six months, said Warren Flatau, deputy director of public affairs for the Federal Railroad Administration.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The Luban Workshops, such as one in Egypt, got their start largely due to equipment exports, said Li Yunmei, deputy party secretary and president of the college.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The chart-topping artist, who doubles as a Pandora brand ambassador, further decked her wrist with stacks from the brand.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
8 Sep. 2025
-
And Ontario Green Screen hosts a lot of these individuals as ambassadors of our program, people who have taken all of our training, have participated in our quarterly community meetings and really understand what resources are available.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The duo plays Emily and Matt, a married pair of ex-CIA spies forced out of retirement and back into the world of espionage after their secret identities are revealed.—
Jacqueline Weiss,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Cianfrance supplies a real jerk of a manager in Peter Dinklage’s Mitch, on whom Jeffrey spies by setting up baby monitors in the back office.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With complete antiballistic missile means, China can significantly contain the enemy's strategic strike capabilities, which is of great significance.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
His or her voice is the means by which the author’s work is bodied forth, and is the main channel along which thought and feeling are to flow.—
Adam Verner
September 3,
Literary Hub,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Newsweek reached out to the Kaseya Center and Gaga's representative for comment on Thursday via email outside regular working hours.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
-
All four umpires form a circle and leave room for one representative from each team to exchange lineup cards.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Managers now need to decide which model is assigned to which task, delegate tasks effectively, and review the output from each.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
As Mars and Jupiter class, delegate, don’t dominate.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The report also detailed how its AI capabilities were being misused by North Korean operatives who used it to obtain remote jobs at tech companies.—
Steve Weisman,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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In September 2024, Israel blew up the group’s pagers, causing gruesome injuries as the devices detonated in Hezbollah operatives’ pockets.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Agent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agent. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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