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manufacturer

American  
[man-yuh-fak-cher-er] / ˌmæn yəˈfæk tʃər ər /

noun

  1. a person, group, or company that owns or runs a manufacturing plant.

  2. a person, group, or company that manufactures.


manufacturer British  
/ ˌmænjʊˈfæktʃərə /

noun

  1. a person or business concern that manufactures goods or owns a factory

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of manufacturer

First recorded in 1710–20; manufacture + -er 1

Explanation

A manufacturer is a person or business that makes goods to sell. If you buy a shirt that has a "made in the USA" label, it means that the manufacturer of the shirt is in the United States. You can use the noun manufacturer for any company (or individual) that makes products, but it's most often used for things made on a very large scale, like cars, appliances, and computers. The word comes from manufacture, which as a noun originally meant "something made by hand," from the Latin roots manus, "hand," and factura, "a working."

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Vocabulary lists containing manufacturer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Micron Technology, a once boring semiconductor manufacturer, now boasts a gross margin of 75% and a valuation that just topped $1 trillion because data centers can’t get enough of its memory chips.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Samsung is also a major manufacturer of semiconductors, with Nvidia among its customers.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

The news came after the German government announced last week it planned to seek a substantial stake when the group launches its IPO as it tries to gain more influence over the arms manufacturer.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

Rinker has lived in Stanton, near the aerospace manufacturer, for three decades and said she had never experienced anything like this.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2026

Oppenheimer was raised in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Manhattan, the son of an artist and a successful garment manufacturer.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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