middleman

noun

mid·​dle·​man ˈmi-dᵊl-ˌman 

: an intermediary or agent between two parties

especially : a dealer, agent, or company intermediate between the producer of goods and the retailer or consumer

Synonyms

• broker
• buffer
• conciliator
• go-between
• honest broker
• interceder
• intercessor
• intermediary
• intermediate
• interposer
• mediator
• peacemaker

Examples of middleman in a Sentence

The Internet helps consumers save money by buying products directly from companies and eliminating the middleman.

We've cut out the middleman and can reduce prices for our customers.

He acted as the middleman in the talks between labor and management.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nvidia may hope to cut out the middleman by offering its chips directly to end customers rather than relying on the cloud vendors as intermediaries. —Rob Toews, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024

Retailers must pay steep fees to these middlemen and often have no choice but to hold large amounts of cash in-store while waiting for a pickup. —Joe Arrage, Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2024

Cuban, the founder of Cost Plus Drugs, also pointed to Harris’ focus on lowering health care and pharmaceutical prices by taking on pharmacy middlemen. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024

Quince is built on the model of forgoing the middleman between itself and factories, which chief executive officer and cofounder Sid Gupta said is one of the big reasons why brands mark up their products. —Layla Ilchi, WWD, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

middleman

noun

mid·​dle·​man ˈmid-ᵊl-ˌman 

: go-between

especially : a dealer between the producer of goods and the consumer