1
as in instrumentalities
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 representatives
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 ambassadors
a person sent on a mission to represent another
an undercover agent of the Crown
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in spies
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
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Recent Examples of agents
Bo Erickson | Reuters A source who was attending the event, and was briefed by Secret Service after the shooting, told CNBC’s Eamon Javers that a man with a shotgun had approached metal detectors and was shot by Secret Service agents.
—
Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 26 Apr. 2026
Players and coaches have become maddeningly mealy-mouthed, striving to avoid upsetting agents, sponsors, owners, fans, thin-skinned politicians, and whoever else might object.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
In December, arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents peaked at nearly 40,000 nationwide and were nearly as high the next month, according to data provided to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Barden spends a lot of time speaking to agents and other athlete representatives.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
If agents refuse, health care facility staff would need to document it.
—Claudia Boyd Barrett, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
News broke that the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong’s agents at CAA had engaged in extension talks.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Couriers posing as federal agents arrive to collect the gold, cryptocurrency or cash, Sorrells said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026
Could agents create harmful workflows on their own without the company’s help?
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026
Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 26 Apr. 2026
Players and coaches have become maddeningly mealy-mouthed, striving to avoid upsetting agents, sponsors, owners, fans, thin-skinned politicians, and whoever else might object.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2026
In December, arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents peaked at nearly 40,000 nationwide and were nearly as high the next month, according to data provided to UC Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and analyzed by The Associated Press.
—ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Barden spends a lot of time speaking to agents and other athlete representatives.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026
If agents refuse, health care facility staff would need to document it.
—Claudia Boyd Barrett, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
News broke that the Cubs and Crow-Armstrong’s agents at CAA had engaged in extension talks.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
Couriers posing as federal agents arrive to collect the gold, cryptocurrency or cash, Sorrells said.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2026
Could agents create harmful workflows on their own without the company’s help?
—Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 25 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for agents
Noun
-
The 6-3 ruling effectively gutted the Voting Rights Act’s requirement that districts be drawn to give minority voters a chance to elect representatives of their choosing.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday sharply limited a part of the Voting Rights Act that has forced states to draw voting districts to help elect Black or Latino representatives to Congress as well as state and local boards.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The archives ultimately appointed 48 ambassadors.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The ambassadors and cabinet members that typically stock these events were absent with the exception of Congressman Maxwell Frost, who attended both the TIME and MS Now parties in sunglasses and a boxy tuxedo.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Having played British spies, lords, WWII fighters pilots and even wrestlers, Jack Lowden has now taken on his most contemporary role to date.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Remember the spies, Boris and Natasha?—
Marla Jo Fisher,
Oc Register,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
One chapter closes, another opens The destruction of several Russian Kamov Ka-52s using drones doesn’t signal the end of the attack helicopter by any means.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Apr. 2026
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Still, this isn’t a bad group by any means, and the team could easily go into the season with Barmore, Durden, Taylor, Williams and Farmer/Gregory.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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At last year’s COP30 in Brazil, about 80 countries backed a road map to phase out oil, gas and coal, but it was dropped from the final document for lack of consensus, angering many delegates.—
Fabiano Maisonnave,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
None of the candidates captured a majority of California Democratic Party delegates needed to win the party endorsement in February.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The White House on Friday had said that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would be going to Islamabad.—
Munir Ahmed,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
As of Friday, American envoys are preparing for a new round of peace talks.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Years later, drawn into a covert network of operatives and manipulated through a web of corruption, Clay must decide whether to become the weapon he was shaped to be or dismantle the system from within.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
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Authorities should also examine whether Allen was known to authorities and, if so, whether intelligence operatives could have pieced together his train travel and arrival in the president’s orbit, Shortland said.—
Justine McDaniel,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As Sousa-Martins drove forward, another agent shot at him 13 times, injuring Sousa-Martins as well as Solomon Antonio Serrano-Esquivel, a passenger in one of the ICE vehicles who was already in federal custody.—
Lily Carey,
Baltimore Sun,
27 Apr. 2026
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The notice states 170,169 vehicles with hybrid systems built between November 2020 and January 2024 are affected by the issue, making the recall the biggest since Jaguar and Land Rover merged in 2008.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Agents.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/agents. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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