Meaning & use
broker
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person or company that buys and sells things, such as stocks or insurance, for others and charges a fee.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a broker', 'two brokers'.
Patterns
- a stock broker
- an insurance broker
- a real estate broker
She works as a broker for a large investment firm.
The broker advised us to sell our shares before the market dropped.
You can buy insurance directly from a company or through a broker.
verbtransitive
To arrange or negotiate an agreement or deal between two or more groups.
Grammar: Takes an object: broker a deal.
Patterns
- broker a deal
- broker an agreement
- broker a ceasefire
The union brokered a deal with management after long talks.
Diplomats are trying to broker a peace agreement between the two countries.
The company brokered the sale of the building to a foreign investor.
Word forms
| plural | brokers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | brokers |
| past tense | brokered |
| past participle | brokered |
| -ing form | brokering |
Common combinations
- stock broker
- My stock broker called to tell me about a new investment opportunity.
- insurance broker
- We used an insurance broker to find the best policy for our home.
- broker a deal
- The agent brokered a deal between the buyer and the seller.
- real estate broker
- In the US, a real estate broker helps you buy or sell a house.
Synonyms and how they differ
- agent
- An agent represents one side in a deal, while a broker often works between two sides.
- dealer
- A dealer buys and sells goods for themselves, not just for others like a broker.
- intermediary
- An intermediary is a formal word for someone who helps two sides communicate; a broker is more specific to business deals.
Word family
- brokerage noun
- A company that buys and sells stocks or insurance for clients, or the fee charged.
- brokering noun
- The act of arranging deals or agreements.
Commonly confused: broker or broker?
broker vs broker
Not to be confused with 'broker' meaning a person who is broke (having no money); that is 'broke', an adjective.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
'Brokered' is the past tense, which fits the completed action. Option 2 uses the base form with a singular subject, option 3 uses the -ing form without a helping verb, and option 4 mixes present tense with 'yesterday'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “broker”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.