end user

American  

Or end-user

noun

1. the ultimate user for whom a machine, as a computer, or product, as a computer program, is designed.

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end user British  

noun

1. 1. (in international trading) the person, organization, or nation that will be the ultimate recipient of goods, esp such as arms or advanced technology

   2. ( as modifier )

      an end-user certificate

2. computing the ultimate destination, such as a program or operator, of information that is being transferred within a system

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Etymology

Origin of end user

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Logic suggests the price maker in the AI stack will be whoever is closest to the end user.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

Another point he made, on a post-earnings-report conference call with analysts, is that software will actually be a big end user of AI.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 26, 2026

“It makes the search experience better for the end user at the end of the day.”

From Barron's • Jan. 1, 2026

“If an email is unsolicited, the end user should always question the identity of the emails being sent,” Manky said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2025

For example, an author could give away the right to suppress unauthorized copies just so long as the end user agreed not to create a commercial offshoot.

From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Williams, Sam