consumer

American  

[kuhn-soo-mer] / kənˈsu mər /

noun

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

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

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

Consumer prices have almost exactly doubled in the U.S. since the start of the millennium, so today’s $1 trillion would “only” be worth about $500 billion in 1999 dollars.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026

Consumer inflation is expected to have picked up slightly to 1.3% on year, with factory-gate price growth accelerating markedly to 3.7%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Consumer confidence improved slightly in May, but remains near lows reached during the 2008 global financial crisis, highlighting the strain facing households as fuel and other costs rise.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026

Consumer Price Index to double over the coming months.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

For example, two years later, all the school cafeterias in town were serving delicious food at least four days a week, all because of Nick the Consumer.

From "Frindle" by Andrew Clements

Related Words

• buyer
• customer
• purchaser
• shopper
• user