caveat emptor

[ kav-ee-aht -emp-tawr, -at, kah-vee-, key-; Latin kah-we-aht -emp-tohr ]

/ ˈkæv iˌɑt ˈɛmp tɔr, -ˌæt, ˈkɑ vi-, keɪ-; Latin ˈkɑ wɛˌɑt ˈɛmp toʊr /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for caveat emptor on Thesaurus.com

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.

QUIZZES

THIS PASTA QUIZ IS A TORTELLINI FUN CHALLENGE!

Whether you're feeling a little fusilli or saucy, this quiz on pasta names is meant for you! Take the quiz to see if you have your pasta facts just right. The pasta-bilities are endless.

Question 1 of 10

Which pasta name means “butterflies”?

fettuccine

farfalle

penne

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Origin of caveat emptor

Borrowed into English from Latin around 1515–25

Words nearby caveat emptor

cavatelli, cavatina, cave, cave art, caveat, caveat emptor, caveator, cave bear, cave canem, cave cricket, cave dweller

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use caveat emptor in a sentence

The one caveat: Asprey advises only buying butter made from grass-fed or pastured cows.
Bulletproof Coffee and the Case for Butter as a Health Food|DailyBurn|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Experts we spoke with said this is a glaring caveat that makes it difficult to create a national estimate from the results.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: Dec. 7|PunditFact.com|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hulagu then gave his men licence to rape, kill and plunder with the caveat that Christians and Jews were to be spared.
In Threatening Baghdad, Militants Seek to Undo 800 Years of History|Justin Marozzi|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, MacMillan has the temerity to issue a caveat mid-thrust.
‘Halt and Catch Fire’ and AMC’s Push to Reset Dramas|Andrew Romano|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But then, just when we feared that the Cox we suspected we knew was about to get too schmaltzy, too idyllic, she adds a caveat.
Courteney Cox Gets Personal About Her Directorial Debut, ‘Just Before I Go’|Kevin Fallon|April 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yet a caveat is needed, for the intense interest we take in the characters of a novel like The Nabob scarcely suggests strolling.
The Nabob|Alphonse Daudet
In the meanwhile it should hardly be necessary to enter a caveat against the popular idea that we are now “in broad daylight”.
Archaic England|Harold Bayley
This caveat duly lodged, he descended to the deck of his sloop, where he found the cabin boy shaking as with an ague.
Duffels|Edward Eggleston
They would have to push on still further westward if they wished to find good land ready for the pre-emptor.
The Boy Settlers|Noah Brooks
Besides the work your correspondent mentions, he wrote a book, entitled a Caveat against Seducers.
Notes and Queries, Number 71, March 8, 1851|Various

British Dictionary definitions for caveat emptor

caveat emptor

/ (ˈɛmptɔː) /

noun

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

Word Origin for caveat emptor

Latin: let the buyer beware

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

Cultural definitions for caveat emptor

Caveat emptor

[ (kav-ee-aht, kah-vee-aht emp-tawr) ]

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.”