agency Hear it!

agency Definition

agen·cy (ā′jən sē)

noun pl. -·cies

  1. active force; action; power
  2. that by which something is done; means; instrumentality
  3. the business of any person, firm, etc. empowered to act for another
  4. the business office or district of such a person, firm, etc.
  5. an administrative division of government with specific functions
  6. an organization that offers a particular kind of assistance a social agency

Etymology: ML agentia < prp. of L agere, act

agency Synonyms

agency

n.

  1. Place where business is transacted

    firm, bureau, company; see business 4, office 3.

  2. An instrumentality

    power, auspices, action; see means 1.

agency Finance Definition
An arrangement in which a person, or agent, matches up buyers and sellers and charges a commission.
agency Law Definition

n

  1. A fiduciary relationship in which a person or entity act, by mutual consent, for the benefit of another and bind the other party by words or deeds. See agent, authority, fiduciary and principal.
  2. A governmental body with the legal authority to administer and implement specific legislation.
agency Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • involve: Due to the flexible attitude of the project leadership right from the early stages of the project the number of agencies involved have expanded.
  • specialize: As well as its commercial body, Remploy provides direct support through its specialized employment agency - Remploy Interwork.
  • let: Lawnmower question I have been a landlord for over four years, letting my property through a letting agency.
  • dedicate: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - Illinois Chapter voluntary health agency dedicated to leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and Hodgkin's disease.

Preposition: on

  • misuse: Alcohol Concern is the national agency on alcohol misuse.
  • behalf: The survey will be conducted by an external agency on behalf of Kingston Hospital to maintain confidentiality.

Adjective modifier

  • voluntary: Her practice Includes work within the NHS, Social Services, in Schools and for a national voluntary agency.
  • statutory: The UK statutory conservation agencies have specialist staff, who could help the AEBC with such a study.
  • federal: NIST is a federal agency within the U.S. Commerce Department.
  • regional: North West Vision is the regional screen agency for England's Northwest.
  • outside: The question was whether Trusts should employ outside agencies to provide parent education.
  • external: A: Any team of people from an external agency should include trained teachers.

Modifies a noun

  • worker: I will be hiring temps or agency workers, what do I need to consider?
  • inc: Agency inc in responsive to phone calls to about ala says he's never.

Noun used with modifier

  • recruitment: Pitman's People is a London based event labor recruitment agency.
  • enforcement: They believe someone is a law enforcement agency on the strength of a printed letterhead.
  • advertising: He worked in a middle management job at the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather in London's docklands.
  • estate: Read more... Hunters is the complete estate agency franchising system.
  • intelligence: They include the police, HM Revenue & Customs, the Armed Forces and the UK's other intelligence agencies.
  • government: Whatever your reason for setting up on your own there are a number of government agencies out there to help.
agency Quotes

The essence of Christianity is the appeal to the life of Christ as a revelation of the nature of God and of his agency in the world. The record is fragmentary, inconsistent and uncertain† But there can be no doubt as to the elements in the record that have evoked the best in human nature. The Mother, the Child and the bare manger: the lowly man, homeless and self- forgetful, with his message of peace, love and sympathy: the suffering, the agony, the tender words as life ebbed, the final despair: and the whole with the authority of supreme victory.

—Whitehead, Alfred North

The No.1Ladies' Detective Agency.

—Smith, Alexander McCall