ENGLISH
REFERENCE

broker

n. · v.
US //ˈbɹoʊkɝ// UK //bɹˈəʊkɐ// bro·ker
  1. 1 financial/trade agent (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person or company that buys and sells things for other people, often charging a fee.

    an agent who buys and sells goods, assets, or securities for others, typically in exchange for a commission.

    Example

    She called her insurance broker to find a cheaper policy for her car.

    Example

    The customs broker ensured that all international shipments complied with local regulations to avoid costly delays at the border.
  2. 2 mediator (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    someone who helps two groups or countries reach an agreement.

    a person who functions as an intermediary or negotiator between parties to achieve a specific outcome.

    Example

    The diplomat acted as a broker between the two warring nations.

    Example

    He earned a reputation as a power broker in the city, frequently resolving disputes between major developers and the local council.
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  1. 3 computing (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a piece of software that manages the exchange of data between different systems.

    an intermediate software component that manages communication or transactions between distributed systems or services.

    Example

    The message broker handles thousands of requests every second.

    Example

    The architecture relies on a central broker to route messages between the microservices, ensuring that data remains consistent across the platform.
  2. 4 to negotiate (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to organize or arrange an agreement between different people or groups.

    to arrange or negotiate the details of a deal, treaty, or agreement. Transitive — takes a direct object.

    Example

    The government helped to broker a deal between the company and the workers.

    Example

    The prime minister attempted to broker a ceasefire, though both sides remained skeptical of the proposed terms.
Etymology 1

From broke + -er.

Etymology 2

From Middle English broker, brokour, brocour, from Anglo-Norman brocour (“small trader”) (compare also abroker (“to act as a broker”)), from Old Dutch brokere (“one who determines the usages of trade, manager”), from broke, bruyck, breuck (“use, usage, trade”), from Proto-West Germanic brūkī (“use, custom”), from Proto-Germanic brūkiz (“use, custom”), from Proto-Indo-European bʰruHg- (“to use, enjoy”), equivalent to brook + -er. Cognates Cognate with Middle Low German brukere (“a broker”), Danish bruger (“a broker, user, handler”), Swedish bruk (“use, custom, trade, business”), Old English broc (“use, profit, advantage, foredeal”). Compare also French brocanter (“to deal in second-hand goods”) from the same Germanic source. More at brook.

Word family

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