# agency

/ˈeɪdʒənsi/ (US) · /ˈeɪdʒənsi/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/agency
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. service business

noun · CEFR B1

a business that provides a specific service for other people or companies.

For teachers: an establishment or business authorised to act on behalf of another, typically providing specialised services.

- She found a new apartment through a local rental agency.
- The advertising agency spent months developing a comprehensive branding strategy to help the startup compete in the global market.

### 2. government department

noun · CEFR B2

a department or office that is part of a government.

For teachers: an administrative unit or department of a government responsible for specific functions or oversight.

- The environmental agency is testing the water for pollution.
- Several federal agencies collaborated on the disaster relief effort to ensure that resources reached the affected regions as quickly as possible.

### 3. personal power or choice

noun · CEFR C1 · Academic

the ability to make your own choices and take action to change your life.

For teachers: the capacity of an individual to act independently and exercise free choice within a social structure.

- The program helps young people feel they have agency over their own future.
- Sociologists often debate the extent to which social structures limit an individual's sense of agency in modern society.

Usage: Often used with the verbs 'exercise' or 'have'.

### 4. the means of doing something

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

the way or the person through which something is achieved.

For teachers: the state of being in action or the medium through which power is exerted or an end is achieved.

- The two countries reached an agreement through the agency of a neutral mediator.
- The virus was spread through the agency of migratory birds, making it difficult for local authorities to contain the outbreak.

Usage: Commonly appears in the phrase 'through the agency of'.

## Examples

- Students need to feel a sense of agency in their own learning.
- The program aims to give young people the agency they need to improve their local communities through social projects.
- While social structures often limit individual choice, the theory suggests that human agency remains a powerful force capable of gradually reshaping those very institutions through persistent collective action.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.