user
1 Americannoun
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a person or thing that uses.
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a person who is addicted to or abuses a controlled substance or alcohol; one who uses illegal or addictive drugs, as in
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Digital Technology. a person who uses a computer, device, or application.
This interface should be more intuitive for users.
noun
noun
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law
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the continued exercise, use, or enjoyment of a right, esp in property
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a presumptive right based on long-continued use
right of user
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(often in combination) a person or thing that uses
a road-user
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informal a drug addict
Usage
What is a user? A user is someone or something that employs or puts someone or something into service, as in The instructions are written for users of the microwave. In technology, a user is the person who uses a particular piece of hardware (such as a computer) or software (such as a website or app), as in Users complain about frequent updates. User can also refer to someone who regularly takes illegal or addictive drugs. (The verb use can mean to regularly take such drugs, as in I stopped using five years ago.)Example: The user should be able to send and receive messages quickly.
Etymology
Origin of user1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English usere; see use, -er 1
Origin of user2
Noun use of Anglo-French user to use
Explanation
A user is someone who employs or uses a particular thing, like a user of nicotine or a user of an internet site. Since you are reading this, you are a user of Vocabulary.com. Congrats! To use something is to employ it or operate it, so a user is someone who uses or takes advantage of something. If you have a computer and use it for anything, you're a computer user. If you play a video game, you're a video game user. As you can see, this word often applies to technology. That's why they call the first part of a login the username. The people who design technology always have to keep the users in mind; it's important to make tech gadgets that are user-friendly.
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.
That is a slowdown from the 30.7% user growth reported in the prior year.
From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026
All three of the chip companies fell Tuesday after The Wall Street Journal reported that ChatGPT-developer OpenAI had missed internal revenue and user targets, sparking worries about AI investment.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
Both were known for their sleek design, their game-changing user interfaces, and a compulsive push for constant upgrades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
"It is difficult to understand how any road user could have missed what was obviously happening," the judge said.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
She logged into her Book Scavenger account and did a user search for Raven.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
