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Showing results for manufacturer. Search instead for Manufacturers.
Synonyms

manufacturer

American  
[man-yuh-fak-cher-er] / ˌmæn yəˈfæk tʃər ər /

noun

  1. a person, group, or company that owns or runs a manufacturing plant.

  2. a person, group, or company that manufactures.


manufacturer British  
/ ˌmænjʊˈfæktʃərə /

noun

  1. a person or business concern that manufactures goods or owns a factory

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of manufacturer

First recorded in 1710–20; manufacture + -er 1

Explanation

A manufacturer is a person or business that makes goods to sell. If you buy a shirt that has a "made in the USA" label, it means that the manufacturer of the shirt is in the United States. You can use the noun manufacturer for any company (or individual) that makes products, but it's most often used for things made on a very large scale, like cars, appliances, and computers. The word comes from manufacture, which as a noun originally meant "something made by hand," from the Latin roots manus, "hand," and factura, "a working."

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Vocabulary lists containing manufacturer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She signed legislation to bring Avio, a rocket manufacturer, and Hitachi’s transformer operations to Virginia.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

At the Bangkok Auto Show earlier this month, BYD secured the most orders of any manufacturer, surpassing Japan's Toyota for the first time.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Rivian is joining with Redwood Materials to reuse EV batteries for energy storage—the largest repurposed-battery energy storage system for an automotive manufacturer in the U.S., executives told The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

He worked at an aerospace parts manufacturer in Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

“A major manufacturer of androids,” he said thoughtfully, “invests its surplus capital on living animals.”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick