manufacturer
Americannoun
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a person, group, or company that owns or runs a manufacturing plant.
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a person, group, or company that manufactures.
noun
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."
Vocabulary lists containing manufacturer
"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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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.
AB Foods, the manufacturer, said it had little choice but to stop production.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
Like South Korea, the largest company in Taiwan’s stock market is another semiconductor manufacturer: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026
Among other companies under review for a Pentagon loan was a drone parts manufacturer that Trump Jr. advises and owns a stake in, according to one of the defense officials who spoke to ProPublica.
From Salon • May 31, 2026
This is essentially “shrinkflation,” like when a potato chip manufacturer keeps prices steady but puts fewer chips in the bag.
From Barron's • May 29, 2026
“Really? Did it not occur to the manufacturer that people might want to take their packs outdoors from time to time? Perhaps even go camping with them. How much is this pack anyway?”
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.