agency

Everyday

1. An agency is a business or organisation that provides a service for other people, like a travel agency. tree →
2. An agency is a part of a government that does special work, like a space agency. tree →
3. Agency can also mean the power to make your own choices. tree →
4. Agency can also mean the action or means by which something happens. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life: travel agency, news agency, employment agency. In science and the news: space agencies (like NASA) send rockets and satellites into space; environment agencies look after nature. In stories, a spy works for a secret agency.

Examples

• We booked our holiday through a travel agency. tree →
• The space agency launched a new rover to Mars. tree →
• A news agency sends stories to newspapers. tree →
• Mum found her new job through an agency. tree →
• In the film, the spy works for a secret agency. tree →
• The weather agency warned of strong winds. tree →
• These fables, again, were among the books brought into an extended circulation by the agency of the printing press. tree →

Note

Countable: an agency, two agencies (y changes to ies). A person who works for one is an agent. Spelled with -ency.