consumer

noun

con·​sum·​er kən-ˈsü-mər 

often attributive

: one that consumes: such as

a

: one that utilizes economic goods

Many consumers shop online.

b

: an organism requiring complex organic compounds for food which it obtains by preying on other organisms or by eating particles of organic matter compare producer sense 3

consumership

kən-ˈsü-mər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of consumer in a Sentence

Many consumers are still not comfortable making purchases on the Internet.

Recent Examples on the Web

While OpenAI pursued a sprawling set of ambitions, from video AI to consumer hardware to chips to robotics and beyond, Anthropic’s laser focus on coding enabled it to build the most powerful coding models in the world, setting the stage for the breakout success of Claude Code. — Rob Toews, Forbes.com, 22 June 2026

To make matters more challenging, the proteinmaxxing trend has completely saturated the market with new consumer brands trying to enter the space by putting protein in snack foods beyond bars and powders. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 21 June 2026

If the plant moves forward to the construction stage, the expenditures will not be recovered through local electric utility customer rates or consumer bills. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 June 2026

When confronted about their pollution, industry executives often have blamed consumers, using tactics borrowed from and shared with Big Tobacco, according to a Chicago Tribune review of thousands of government, scientific and internal industry documents. — Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see consume

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing consumer

• anti-consumer
• consumer confidence
• consumer credit
• consumer debt
• consumer durables
• consumer goods
• consumer price index

Rhymes for consumer

• perfumer
• antitumor
• pseudotumor
• boomer
• humor
• humour
• plumer
• rumor
• rumour
• tumor
• tumour

Kids Definition

consumer

noun

con·​sum·​er kən-ˈsü-mər 

1

: one that consumes

especially : a person who buys and uses up goods

2

: a plant or animal that requires complex organic compounds for food which it obtains by preying on other living things or eating particles of organic matter compare producer sense 3

Legal Definition

consumer

noun

con·​sum·​er

: one that utilizes economic goods

specifically : an individual who purchases goods for personal use as distinguished from commercial use