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agent-in-place

agent-in-place

1 8.9
A person who works secretly inside another group to get information
  • noun
  • Jargon
: agente encubierto
  • The foreign government managed to recruit an agent-in-place at the embassy.

Examples

  • Intelligence agencies value an agent-in-place for access to sensitive information.

  • The CIA deployed an agent-in-place to gather intelligence.

  • After years of building trust, she became a highly effective agent-in-place within the rival organization.

  • Many agents-in-place operated within the organization.

  • After years of building trust, she became a highly effective agent-in-place within the rival organization.

  • Intelligence agencies value an agent-in-place for gaining access to sensitive information about their operations.

  • The CIA decided to place an agent-in-place in the target country to gather vital intelligence.

Synonyms

agent
vsagent-in-place
  • Formal
∞ 2.8

A person who helps and represents someone in business, legal, or official matters

serves instead as a covert embedded insider working inside the target group
operative
vsagent-in-place
204 7.3

A person who works as a secret agent or detective

is specifically settled within the target organization as a covert embedded insider
mole
vsagent-in-place
92 8.2

A person who secretly works inside an organization to pass information to an enemy

is an established inside person placed for ongoing covert intelligence gathering
secret agent
vsagent-in-place
65 3.4

A person who gathers hidden information for a government about enemies

is specifically positioned inside the target group to act as an ongoing covert insider
intelligence officer
vsagent-in-place
  • Specialized
31 3.7

A person who works for the government to collect and report secret information about threats to the country

is primarily an embedded field insider within the target not an office analyst
undercover agent
vsagent-in-place
27 4.1

A person who works secretly for the police to gather information while hiding who they are

is specifically placed inside the target organization as a long term embedded insider
sleeper
vsagent-in-place
  • NSFW
20 9.5

A spy who lives as a normal person until given orders to act

is already active inside the target rather than lying dormant until triggered
intelligence agent
vsagent-in-place
  • Specialized
16 3.0

A person who secretly works for a government to get information about the country's safety

operates from within the specific target organization rather than generally for a government
infiltrator
vsagent-in-place
11 8.2

A person who secretly enters a place to get secret information or cause harm

focuses on being embedded within the target organization rather than just entering it
espionage agent
vsagent-in-place
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A person who secretly gets information for another country or company

works covertly inside the target organization rather than mainly abroad or externally

How Active

operative
204 7.3
agent-in-place
  • Jargon
1 8.9
sleeper
  • NSFW
20 9.5

Surface Forms

Morphology

agent-in-place = agent + place (semi-transparent) = in + agent + place

The idea of an agent who is already 'in place' is understandable from the parts, but the specific espionage sense is specialized. [Postprocessing: moved 'in' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Agent-in-place begins with agent, from an old Latin word meaning 'to do', and is the same root as act and action, so an agent is 'one who acts'. The parts in and place mean 'inside' and 'location', so an agent-in-place is someone put 'inside' an organization to act quietly and get information.