complementor

noun

com·​ple·​men·​tor ˈkäm-plə-ˌmen-tər 

-mən-

plural complementors

: a company that sells a product or service that complements the products or services of another company

Microsoft and Intel are complementors. Microsoft's sophisticated software packages require ever more powerful chips from Intel. The chips in turn make the software feasible and economic.

—Richard Koch, The 80/20 Principle and 92 Other Powerful Laws of Nature, 2013

Hard negotiations with complementors (companies with complementary products/services and mutual customers) and suppliers can come back to bite you.

—Rajshree Agarwal and Raj Echambadi, The Baltimore Sun, 4 Nov. 2011

Often the adoption of new technology and the growth of the market are affected by the degree to which complementary products and services are available from complementors for customers.

—Adrian Ryans et al., Winning Market Leadership, 2000

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

• More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
• Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
• Advanced search features
• Ad free!