middleman

[mid-l-man]

noun

plural

middlemen 

1. a person who plays an economic role intermediate between producer and retailer or consumer.

2. a person who acts as an intermediary.

middleman

/ ˈmɪdəlˌmæn /

noun

1. an independent trader engaged in the distribution of goods from producer to consumer

2. an intermediary

3. theatre the interlocutor in minstrel shows

Word History and Origins

Origin of middleman¹

1400–50; late Middle English: maker of girdles; middle, man

Example Sentences

He said Google built its business on "being the middleman between users and websites", whereas ChatGPT is "eliminating the middleman entirely".

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He said the only way he has managed to stay in the industry was by cutting out the middleman and setting up his own stores to reach consumers directly.

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Indian state refiners mostly buy Russian oil from middlemen instead of directly from Rosneft and Lukoil, providing a possible workaround to U.S. sanctions, according to analysts.

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It’s nothing but buck-passing middlemen in league with penny-pinching hospital executives.

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The government gets what it wants—basic research, disease cures—and companies get new product ideas and access to patents, cutting out the university middleman.

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Related Words

• go-between 
• mediator 
• wholesaler