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broker

BROH-kuhr /ˈbroʊkər/

nounverbB2SATGMATIELTS

businesspoliticalgeneral

A person who buys and sells goods or assets for others, or to arrange or negotiate (an agreement or compromise).

As a verb, it implies active, skilled, and often difficult facilitation of a deal between two wary parties.

The story behind the word. In medieval times, a brocour was a wine retailer who tapped wine casks. Because they knew who had wine and who wanted to buy it, they naturally became middlemen for other goods, eventually giving us the modern word for a dealmaker.

Word relationships

negotiate: Negotiate can be done by the parties themselves, whereas broker implies a third party arranging the deal.

disrupt: Disrupt means to break apart an agreement, whereas broker means to construct one.

Commonly confused with

mediate: To mediate is to help parties resolve a dispute, while to broker is specifically to arrange and finalize a transaction or treaty.

Word family

brokerage (noun): the business or fee of a broker

Collocations

broker a deal
power broker
insurance broker

Idioms & expressions

pull the strings
grease the wheels

Example sentences

"The president helped broker a peace deal between the two warring nations." Reporting on international diplomacy.
"She works as a real estate broker, helping families find their dream homes." Describing financial services.

Memory hook

A broker helps you when you are 'broke' to get a deal done. Tapping the keg to let the deal flow.

When not to use

Do not use if the person is a neutral judge (that is an arbitrator) or just a passive messenger.

Fun facts

The connection between tapping wine casks and stockbrokers shows how everyday trade terms can elevate into high-finance vocabulary over centuries.