Adjacent Words

Agency definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

A'GENCY, n. [L. agens. See Act.]
1. The quality of moving or of exerting power; the state of being in action; action; operation; instrumentality; as, the agency of providence in the natural world.
2. The office of an agent, or factor; business of an agent entrusted with the concerns of another; as, the principal pays the charges of agency.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority" [syn: agency, federal agency, government agency, bureau, office, authority]
2: a business that serves other businesses
3: the state of being in action or exerting power; "the agency of providence"; "she has free agency"
4: the state of serving as an official and authorized delegate or agent [syn: representation, delegacy, agency]
5: how a result is obtained or an end is achieved; "a means of control"; "an example is the best agency of instruction"; "the true way to success" [syn: means, agency, way]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural -cies) Date: 1640 1. a. the office or function of an agent 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>

U.S. Military Dictionary

In intelligence usage, an organization or individual engaged in collecting and/or processing information. Also called collection agency. See also agent; intelligence process; source. (JP 2-01)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 a the business or establishment of an agent (employment agency). b the function of an agent. 2 a active operation; action (free agency). b intervening action (fertilized by the agency of insects). c action personified (an invisible agency). 3 a specialized department of the United Nations. Etymology: med.L agentia f. L agere do

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Agency A"gen*cy, n.; pl. Agencies. [agentia, fr. L. agens, agentis: cf. F. agence. See Agent.] 1. The faculty of acting or of exerting power; the state of being in action; action; instrumentality. The superintendence and agency of Providence in the natural world. --Woodward. 2. The office of an agent, or factor; the relation between a principal and his agent; business of one intrusted with the concerns of another. 3. The place of business of am agent. Syn: Action; operation; efficiency; management.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(agencies) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. An agency is a business which provides a service on behalf of other businesses. (BUSINESS) We had to hire maids through an agency. N-COUNT: oft supp N see also advertising agency, employment agency, press agency, travel agency 2. An agency is a government organization responsible for a certain area of administration. ...the government agency which monitors health and safety at work in Britain... N-COUNT: oft supp N

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Intervention, instrumentality, mediation, means, action, operation, force, influence, procurement. 2. Charge, direction, management, superintendence, supervision.

Moby Thesaurus

action, activity, agent, agentship, antecedent, assignment, atelier, authority, authorization, barbershop, barter, bartering, beauty parlor, beauty shop, bench, brevet, brokerage, butcher shop, buying and selling, care, cause, change, channel, charge, commission, commissioning, commitment, commutation, company, concern, conduct, consignment, corporation, cure, dealing, delegated authority, delegation, deputation, deputyship, desk, determinant, device, devolution, devolvement, direction, displacement, doing business, driving, embassy, empowerment, energy, entrusting, entrustment, errand, establishment, exchange, execution, executorship, exequatur, exercise, expedient, facility, factorship, firm, force, full power, functioning, gear, give-and-take, going between, handling, horse trading, house, installation, institution, instrumentality, instrumentation, intercession, interchange, intermediation, intervention, jobbing, jurisdiction, legation, license, lieutenancy, loft, machinery, management, mandate, manipulation, means, mechanism, mediation, medium, merchandising, ministry, mission, occupation, office, operancy, operation, organ, organization, parlor, performance, performing, plenipotentiary power, power, power of attorney, power to act, practice, procuration, proxy, purview, quid pro quo, recourse, regency, regentship, replacement, representation, resort, responsibility, retailing, running, service, shop, steering, studio, subrogation, substitution, supersedence, superseding, supersedure, supersession, supplantation, supplanting, supplantment, swapping, sweatshop, switch, task, tit for tat, trade, trading, trafficking, trust, trusteeship, vehicle, vicarious authority, vicariousness, warrant, wheeling and dealing, wholesaling, work, work site, work space, workbench, workhouse, working, working space, workings, workplace, workroom, workshop, worktable