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 Climate and environment California eases new water saving regulations for local agencies after pushback. Jenny Gold, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Produced by entertainment agency JJLA, the festival will also feature additional performances from artists including Doechii, Ashnikko, Noah Cyrus, Trixie Mattel, Big Freedia, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, VINCINT and more. Stephen Daw, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 Montgomery County detectives, along with the county’s child welfare agency, began their investigation last May. Dan Morse, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Since its launch, the express line has seen about 2,500 riders and 10 percent are within Imperial Beach, according to agency figures. Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 The White House is preparing for the possibility that Congress will permanently pause funding for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, known as UNRWA. Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 13 Mar. 2024 Both issues are moving through the FAA’s standard process for developing airworthiness directives — rather than an emergency process — signaling that the agency and plane maker do not believe the issues are serious enough to require the planes to stop flying immediately. Kathleen Magramo, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Kate Middleton and Kids Had a 'Wonderful' Mother's Day Despite Photo Controversy, Says Source Why did photo agencies take down the Kate Middleton photo? Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Phillips, who brings more than two decades of agency experience to Verve, was most recently co-head of the motion picture literary department at A3 Artists Agency. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 12 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 18 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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