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• caveat emptor
  caveat emptor

  noun

  let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty.
• Caveat emptor
  Caveat emptor

  Latin for “Let the buyer beware.” It means that a customer should be cautious and alert to the possibility of being cheated: “Caveat emptor is the first rule of buying a used car.”

caveat emptor

American  

[kav-ee-aht emp-tawr, -at, kah-vee-, key-, kah-we-aht emp-tohr] / ˈkæv iˌɑt ˈɛmp tɔr, -ˌæt, ˈkɑ vi-, keɪ-, ˈkɑ wɛˌɑt ˈɛmp toʊr /

noun

1. let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty.

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caveat emptor British  

/ ˈɛmptɔː /

noun

1. the principle that the buyer must bear the risk for the quality of goods purchased unless they are covered by the seller's warranty

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Caveat emptor Cultural  

1. Latin for “Let the buyer beware.” It means that a customer should be cautious and alert to the possibility of being cheated: “Caveat emptor is the first rule of buying a used car.”

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Etymology

Origin of caveat emptor

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1515–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caveat emptor Caveat emptor

One of these men is at least honest about who he is, adorning himself in red flags that read caveat emptor.

From Slate ● Jan. 17, 2025

As the phrase goes in Latin — caveat emptor, or “let the buyer beware.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 4, 2024

"This is one of the caveat emptor things that all foreign would-be acquirers should keep in mind."

From Reuters ● Aug. 31, 2023

She cautioned the public to weigh “both potential benefits and risks,” to which I would add caveat emptor — buyer beware.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2021

Meanwhile you trust at your peril, caveat emptor, your eyes are your market, or words to similar effect.

From The Cab of the Sleeping Horse by Scott, John Reed

Caveat emptor, though: Little can be accurately foreseen in the highly unpredictable market for non-fungible tokens, it would appear.

From Reuters ● Mar. 14, 2023

Caveat emptor: California has a long history of being a sunny haven for health and wellness fads.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2019

In other words, the old standard should prevail: Caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.

From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2018

Caveat emptor, suggested John White, 72, a medium, mystic and medical intuitive, for the American Medical Association has not blessed these practices.

From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2018

Caveat emptor is the only motto going, and the worst proverb that ever came from dishonest stony-hearted Rome.

From Phineas Redux by Trollope, Anthony