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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

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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

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Compare meaning

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

• consumer vs. capital goods

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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

It pointed to hotter-than-expected consumer price index and producer price index prints, which have raised the probability of a further interest-rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Traders are now awaiting comments at the International Monetary Fund's gathering in Bangkok, with hopes that he will give some insight into policymakers' thinking following this week's inflation-busting consumer inflation data.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

China’s monthly batch of economic activity data is due Monday, offering the latest look at consumer demand, investment and industrial production.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

McDonald is also interested in one of those beaten-down consumer stocks, Nike, down around 50% from its 52-week high.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

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

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Among American consumers, it was more popular than eating low-carb or Mediterranean diets, according to a recent survey.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Duo also has a nanotexture finish, which reduces glare and helps hide the crease, a detail which analysts expect will matter to consumers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Many subsidize retail fuel prices to shield consumers from swings in the global oil market.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

"Higher energy prices will add to cost pressures, but excess capacity and soft demand should limit firms' ability to pass these on to consumers," she added.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

They rounded up not just thousands but hundreds of thousands of consumers all across North America, and in head-to-head blind taste tests, New Coke beat Pepsi by 6 to 8 percentage points.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

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Related Words

• buyer
• customer
• purchaser
• shopper
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