consumer

(kən-sū'mər)
n.

1. One that consumes, especially one that acquires goods or services for direct use or ownership rather than for resale or use in production and manufacturing.
2. A heterotrophic organism that ingests other organisms or organic matter in a food chain.

consumership con·sum'er·ship' n.

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Refers to the casual user in contrast to the professional user. Consumer products vary in quality, ranging from flimsy, inexpensive devices to very well made; however, the term implies non-professional usage. See prosumer and consumer electronics.

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Ultimate user of a product or service. The consumer is not always the purchaser of a product. In the case of pet food, for example, the pet is technically the consumer because it is the ultimate user, although of course the advertising is aimed at the pet owner

Consumers are considered to be the users of the final product. For example, purchasers of building products are interim users of these products while constructing the finished product, which may then be purchased by a consumer. See also consumer advertising; consumer goods; consumer survey.

Ultimate user of a product or service. The consumer is not always the purchaser of a product (customer). In the case of pet food, for example, the pet is technically the consumer because it is the ultimate user, although of course the advertising is aimed at the pet owner.
Consumers are considered to be the users of the final product. For example, purchasers of building products are interim users of these products while constructing the finished product, which may then be purchased by a consumer.

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noun

One who consumes goods and services: customer, user. See give/take/reciprocity, used/unused.

n

Definition: person who buys merchandise, services
Antonyms: marketer, merchandiser

1. Those organisms in all the trophic levels, with the exception of the producers. These include herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and parasites. Primary consumers subsist on plant material alone. Secondary consumers feed on primary consumers, and so on.

2. One who uses goods and services. Certain assumptions are made in economics about the consumer. He or she will use goods commensurate with their price such that a fall in the price of commodity will lead to increased consumption. So will a rise in income, and the reverse is held to be true. Consumer goods are bought by domestic consumers, and may be classed as non-durable: food and drink, and consumer durables: furniture, ‘white goods’, carpets, and so on.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An individual who purchases and uses products and services in contradistinction to manufacturers who produce the goods or services and wholesalers or retailers who distribute and sell them. A member of the general category of persons who are protected by state and federal laws regulating price policies, financing practices, quality of goods and services, credit reporting, debt collection, and other trade practices of U.S. commerce. A purchaser of a product or service who has a legal right to enforce any implied or express warranties pertaining to the item against the manufacturer who has introduced the goods or services into the marketplace or the seller who has made them a term of the sale.

Someone who purchases a good for personal use.

(DOD) Person or agency that uses information or intelligence produced by either its own staff or other agencies.

IN BRIEF: One who buys or eats.

The grocery store was full of consumers.

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n

One who may receive or is receiving dental service; the term is also used in health legislation and programs as a reference to someone who is never a practitioner or is not associated in any direct or indirect way with the supplying or provision of dental services.

For a list of words related to consumer, see:

• Environment, Ecology, and Animal Behavior - consumer: organism that consumes other organisms as food
• Commerce and Trade - consumer: individual or group purchasing goods or services in marketplace
• Advertising - consumer: private individual at whom advertisements are aimed

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See words rhyming with "consumer."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - forbruger, køber

idioms:

• consumer design    forbrugerdesign
• consumer durable    varigt forbrugsgode
• consumer goods    forbrugsgoder
• consumer society    forbrugergruppe

Nederlands (Dutch)
consument

Français (French)
n. - (gén) consommateur, abonné

idioms:

• consumer durables    bien durable
• consumer goods    produits de consommation
• consumer society    société de consommation

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verbraucher

idioms:

• consumer durables    langlebige Konsumgüter
• consumer goods    Konsumgüter
• consumer society    Konsumgesellschaft

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - καταναλωτής

idioms:

• consumer design    σχεδίαση σε καταναλωτικά πρότυπα
• consumer durable    διαρκές καταναλωτικό αγαθό
• consumer goods    καταναλωτικά αγαθά
• consumer society    καταναλωτική κοινωνία

Italiano (Italian)
cliente, acquirente, consumatore, utente

idioms:

• consumer design    arte industriale
• consumer durable    bene di consumo durevole
• consumer goods    beni di consumo
• consumer society    società dei consumi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - consumidor (m)

idioms:

• consumer design    algo projetado com as idéias e sugestões da comunidade
• consumer durable    bens (m pl) de consumo
• consumer goods    artigos (m pl) de consumo
• consumer society    sociedade (f) de consumo

Русский (Russian)
покупатель, потребитель

idioms:

• consumer design    дизайн, имея во внимания потребителей
• consumer durable    долговечный товар
• consumer goods    потребительские товары
• consumer society    общество кот. интересуется потреблением товаров

Español (Spanish)
n. - comprador, cliente, consumidor, consumidora

idioms:

• consumer durables    bienes de consumo duraderos, alimentos de larga duración
• consumer goods    artículos o bienes de consumo
• consumer society    sociedad de consumo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - konsument

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
消费者

idioms:

• consumer design    消费者的设计
• consumer durable    耐用消费品, 耐久消费财
• consumer goods    消费品
• consumer society    消费者协会

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 消費者

idioms:

• consumer design    消費者的設計
• consumer durable    耐用消費品, 耐久消費財
• consumer goods    消費品
• consumer society    消費者協會

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 소비자, 수요자

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 消費者

idioms:

• consumer design    消費者デザイン
• consumer durable    耐久消費財
• consumer goods    消費財
• consumer society    消費者組合

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مستهلك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צרכן‬

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