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

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

New Yorkers are going to be talking about Speaker’s Corner, at 8-5, but caveat emptor.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2022

Graced by gospel harmonies, “Disappearing” offers caveat emptor for the kind of tortured artists who might try dipping into the Mississippi.

From New York Times • May 10, 2022

The caveat emptor side of the law, like the caveat emptor side of business, seemed to me repellent; it did not make for social fair dealing.

From Theodore Roosevelt; an Autobiography by Roosevelt, Theodore