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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

The company has said price increases on consumer electronics, including Apple devices, result from more than just higher prices for memory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Other data include preliminary durable goods figures for June on Monday, and the Conference Board’s consumer confidence reading for July on Tuesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Blissfully unaware of his 15 seconds of viral fame, the raccoon has become fodder for brands racing to capitalise on consumer interest in the latest online trend.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

A slew of economic data is due before Friday’s BOJ decision, including Tokyo consumer inflation for July and industrial production, retail sales and employment figures for June.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

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

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Some consumers trace the fitness trend to a postpandemic cultural shift in the country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

However, TerraCycle, which involves consumers collecting packaging and sending it to be recycled, only runs the BuzzBallz scheme in the United States.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

“Convergence” is the hot buzzword in telecommunications these days, as companies see opportunities to sell consumers on a bundled suite of offerings.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

The new offering could make it more appealing for consumers to leave family plans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The kids were the consumers with $1.35 in their pockets, and until the food was better, that’s where their money would stay.

From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements

Related Words

• buyer
• customer
• purchaser
• shopper
• user