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Which U.S. president first presented to Congress what became known as the Consumer Bill of Rights?

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consumer

American  

[kuhn-soo-mer] / kənˈsu mər /

noun

• consumers
  plural

1. 

   a person or thing that consumes.

2. Economics. a person or organization that uses a commodity or service.

3. Ecology. an organism, usually an animal, that feeds on plants or other animals.

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consumer British  

/ kənˈsjuːmə /

noun

1. a person who acquires goods and services for his or her own personal needs Compare producer

2. a person or thing that consumes

3. (usually plural) ecology an organism, esp an animal, within a community that feeds upon plants or other animals See also decomposer producer

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consumer Scientific  

/ kən-so̅o̅′mər /

1. A heterotrophic organism that feeds on other organisms in a food chain.

2. ◆ Herbivores that feed on green plants and detritivores that feed on decaying matter are called primary consumers. Carnivores that feed on herbivores or detritivores are called secondary consumers, while those that feed on other carnivores are called tertiary consumers.

3. Compare producer

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consumer Cultural  

1. Someone who purchases a good for personal use.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticonsumer
  noun
• consumership
  noun
• preconsumer
  noun
• nonconsumer
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• consumers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of consumer

First recorded in 1375–1425, for the earlier sense “squanderer,” 1525–35 for the current sense; Middle English; consume + -er ¹

Compare meaning

How does consumer compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• consumer vs. capital goods

Explanation

A consumer is someone who buys or consumes, or uses up, something. An economy could not keep functioning without consumers. Long before smorgasbords, shopping malls, or eBay, people craved pretty and tasty things. So those who spoke Latin invented the word consumere, which meant to use up, eat, or waste. Being a consumer doesn't necessarily mean you are squandering. We're all consumers when we go through the checkout line at the grocery store, for instance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

consumer consumers

Moreover, Bessent countered questions about the government’s economic record by citing substantial wage growth and also healthy consumer spending.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

“The consumer is benefiting from a lower cost,” said Andy Palmer, a former CEO of Aston Martin.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

In addition to Fed minutes, this week will also bring data on consumer sentiment and service-industry activity.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

"As a consumer, you have a lot of power as well. You can express your views on this in the comment section," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Who is safeguarding the consumer to see that no residues of dieldrin or heptachlor are appearing in milk?

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

This leaves luxury brands reliant on a narrow group of ultrawealthy consumers who are still spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

But Lee and Marriott's research has found that consumers often reacted negatively to AI-generated models once they realised they were not real.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

A cute AI agent is likely to generate more traction among consumers than a utilitarian large language model, Steinwold said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

My colleague Alex Galbraith recently argued that food may be where consumers most easily recognize the otherwise abstract mechanics of private equity.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

He believes that more and more consumers will make the choice to buy local, “beyond organic” food.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• buyer
• customer
• purchaser
• shopper
• user