producer

American  

[pruh-doo-ser, -dyoo-] / prəˈdu sər, -ˈdyu- /

noun

1. a person who produces.

2. Economics. a person who creates economic value, or produces goods and services.

3. a person responsible for the financial and administrative aspects of a stage, film, television, or radio production; the person who exercises general supervision of a production and is responsible chiefly for raising money, hiring technicians and artists, etc., required to stage a play, make a motion picture, or the like.

4. British Theater. (formerly) a director of theatrical productions; stage director.

5. an apparatus for making producer gas.

6. Ecology. an organism, as a plant, that is able to produce its own food from inorganic substances.

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producer British  

/ prəˈdjuːsə /

noun

1. a person or thing that produces

2. a person responsible for the artistic direction of a play, including interpretation of the script, preparation of the actors, and overall design

3. a person who organizes the stage production of a play, including the finance, management, etc

4. the person who takes overall administrative responsibility for a film or television programme Compare director

5. the person who supervises the arrangement, recording, and mixing of a record

6. economics a person or business enterprise that generates goods or services for sale Compare consumer

7. chem an apparatus or plant for making producer gas

8. (often plural) ecology an organism, esp a green plant, that builds up its own tissues from simple inorganic compounds See also consumer decomposer

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producer Scientific  

/ prə-do̅o̅′sər /

1. An autotrophic organism that serves as a source of food for other organisms in a food chain. Producers include green plants, which produce food through photosynthesis, and certain bacteria that are capable of converting inorganic substances into food through chemosynthesis.

2. Compare consumer

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonproducer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of producer

First recorded in 1505–15; produce + -er ¹

Explanation

If you have the chance to travel to Brazil, you might get to visit the largest producer of coffee beans in the world. A producer is a maker or manufacturer of something. Since the 1500s, the word producer has been used to mean "one who produces." In the late 1800s it began to have a second meaning, "someone who finances and supervises a show". A movie producer oversees the making of films in various ways, including raising money, and a record producer does a similar job in the music industry, working with musicians. This kind of producer is more of a supervisor and adviser than the actual maker of the finished product.

Example Sentences

According to a 2010 interview with Guy Ludwig, Shalit’s producer for more than 20 years, Shalit was hired as a contributor at “Today” in 1968.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2026

Gaynor Holmes, executive producer for BBC Drama, said O'Donnell had been a "pleasure to work with".

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026

He did so, but for the better, pairing them with George Martin as producer and replacing Pete Best on drums with Ringo Starr.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

The producer price index for total final demand rose 1.1% last month, lifting the annual rate to 6.5%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday morning.

From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026

“I think it was more your charming producer demeanor,” I said, just as Ajit Uncle brought over a platter of pancakes.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon

Related Words

• architect
• contractor
• maker
• manufacturer