1 [often with adjective or noun modifier] a business or organization providing a particular service on behalf of another business, person, or group:an advertising agencyaid agencies
a department or body providing a specific service for a government or other organization:the Environmental Protection Agency
2 [mass noun] action or intervention producing a particular effect:canals carved by the agency of running water
[count noun] a thing or person that acts to produce a particular result:the movies could be an agency moulding the values of the public