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

"This is partly due to consumer behaviour, as drivers are more likely to actively compare prices when costs are rising than when they are falling" it said.

From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026

Eurozone retail sales rebounded in May, highlighting a brighter outlook for consumer demand despite lingering uncertainty from the conflict in the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

Industry experts think newfound knowledge of battery durability is a game-changer for consumer confidence in EVs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026

Yet if that were truly the case, there would be no point in even trying to become a more discerning consumer of financial news.

From MarketWatch • Jul. 4, 2026

So in the end the luckless consumer pays his taxes but gets his poisons regardless.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• buyer
• customer
• purchaser
• shopper
• user