stockbroker

stockbroker — noun

1. someone whose job consists of trading company shares on a financial market, eith

1.nounB1
Definition

someone whose job consists of trading company shares on a financial market, either for clients or for their own company

Example

Charlotte works as a stockbroker in a busy office near the stock exchange.

collocation: work as a stockbroker

Before becoming a stockbroker, Eri studied economics to understand the markets.

collocation: become a stockbroker

Common collocations
  • work as a stockbroker
  • become a stockbroker
  • ask your stockbroker
  • call your stockbroker
  • stockbroker firm
Synonyms
  • broker

    broader term — a broker can also deal with insurance, real estate, or other products

  • securities dealer

    more formal and institutional; often refers to a company rather than an individual

  • trader

    usually trades for their own firm's account, not for external clients

Antonyms
  • investor

    buys shares for their own portfolio, not as an agent charging fees

Usage Note

Also used for a company that provides share-trading services to clients, not just an individual person.

Common Mistakes

A stockbroker invests their own money in the stock market to make a profit.
A stockbroker buys and sells shares for other people and charges a fee.
A stockbroker acts as an agent for clients, not primarily as someone trading their own money.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A stockbroker specifically helps clients buy and sell shares on a stock exchange and earns a commission on each trade. A broker is a broader term — it covers people who arrange deals in insurance, real estate, or even art, not just stocks. A securities dealer sounds more formal and usually refers to a financial firm rather than an individual. A trader differs in that they typically buy and sell for their own company's account, not for outside clients. An investor is the opposite role — someone who buys shares for their own benefit rather than executing orders for others. For example: 'My stockbroker advised me to sell before the market dropped,' but 'The investor decided to hold onto her shares.'

broker ↗securities dealertrader ↗investor ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • stockbroker firm
  • stockbroker office
  • stockbroker commission

Etymology

Old EnglishAnglo-FrenchEnglish

A compound word formed from 'stock' (meaning company shares, from Old English 'stoc', originally 'trunk, post', later 'fund, supply') and 'broker' (from Anglo-French 'brocour', meaning 'a small trader or agent who arranges deals'). The term came into use in the early 1700s as organised stock exchanges emerged in London.