viewer

American  

[vyoo-er] / ˈvyu ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that views.

2. a person who watches television, often a devotee of television or of a particular kind of television program.

   a weekly show aimed at teenage viewers.

3. any of various optical devices to facilitate viewing, view, especially one that is small and boxlike with a magnifying lens, and sometimes a light source, in which a photographic transparency may be viewed.

4. an eyepiece or viewfinder.

5. an official inspector of property, public works, or the like.

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viewer British  

/ ˈvjuːə /

noun

1. a person who views something, esp television

2. any optical device by means of which something is viewed, esp one used for viewing photographic transparencies

3. law a person appointed by a court to inspect and report upon property, etc

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Other Word Forms

• nonviewer noun
• underviewer noun
• viewership noun

Etymology

Origin of viewer

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; view, -er ¹

Example Sentences

Nobody is suggesting viewers are choosing one over the other; different as they are, their audiences overlap.

From Salon

Going Public, which described itself as “Shark Tank meets The Apprentice,” introduced audiences to businesses seeking financial backing, allowing those viewers to invest in the businesses under “crowdfunding” provisions of federal law.

From Barron's

But if a viewer is so aware of the historical slips, there’s not enough going on elsewhere to distract him.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he confesses he has no idea whether the back viewers saw on-screen in the final cut belonged to him.

From BBC

Murphy, who delighted fans with a walkabout in Centenary Square on his arrival at Symphony Hall, paid tribute to the viewers who helped catapult Peaky Blinders into a worldwide hit.

From BBC

Related Words

• observer
• onlooker
• spectator
• watcher