custom

1 of 2

noun

cus·​tom ˈkə-stəm 

1

a

: a usage or practice common to many or to a particular place or class or habitual with an individual

It is the custom in New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras.

funeral customs

b

: long-established practice considered as unwritten law

c

: repeated practice

Custom makes all things easy.

d

: the whole body of usages, practices, or conventions that regulate social life

… family, kinship, and custom constituted the grounds of community.

—V. B. Leitch

2

customs plural

a

: duties, tolls, or imposts imposed by the sovereign law of a country on imports or exports

b

usually singular in construction : the agency, establishment, or procedure for collecting such customs

went through customs at the airport without any difficulty

3

a

: business patronage (see patronage sense 4)

b

: usually habitual patrons : customers

custom

2 of 2

adjective

1

: made or performed according to personal order

2

: specializing in custom work or operation

a custom tailor

Synonyms

Noun

• fashion
• habit
• habitude
• pattern
• practice
• practise
• ritual
• second nature
• trick
• way
• wont

Adjective

• bespoke
• bespoken
• custom-made
• custom-tailored
• customized
• made-to-order
• tailor-made
• tailored

Choose the Right Synonym for custom

habit, practice, usage, custom, wont mean a way of acting fixed through repetition.

habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively.

had a habit of tapping his fingers

practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice.

our practice is to honor all major credit cards

usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm.

western-style dress is now common usage in international business

custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law.

the custom of wearing black at funerals

wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group.

as was her wont, she slept until noon

Examples of custom in a Sentence

Noun

It is the custom for the bride to wear a white dress on her wedding day.

According to custom, the festivities begin at dusk.

It's a matter of custom.

We went through customs at the airport without any difficulty.

It took us a long time to clear customs at the border.

Adjective

The new kitchen will have custom cabinets.

that business tycoon wears only custom suits

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Dutch yard has just started construction on a custom superyacht that will be its largest in history. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 25 Apr. 2024

In the station’s locomotive heyday, its north and south wings were occupied, respectively, by French and Spanish customs officials. —Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2024

The machine features 165 stitch settings, including decorative stitches, quilting stitches, custom buttonholes, and a variety of embroidery stitches. —Nor'adila Hepburn, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2024

Delivery of these bespoke bags can take up to three years, according to the auction house Christie’s, which sold a custom matte-yellow alligator-skin Birkin for more than $93,000 last year. —Harriet Ryan, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2024

For her walk down the aisle, Cooper wore a custom Danielle Frankel dress. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024

Some Seder attendees chose to find solace in the customs and ritual cadence of the holiday and evade, briefly, a topic that has otherwise been inescapable. —Andrew Keh, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024

Days before the official Echo premiere last year in Montreal, hundreds of Cirque employees were given an exclusive preview of the new show, as is the company’s longtime custom. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 24 Apr. 2024

However, the San Francisco Bay Area custom is a 3 percent EMD. —Pat Kapowich, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024

Adjective

In photos obtained by the Daily Mail at the time, Taylor-Joy could be seen standing on a balcony at the venue wearing her custom Dior gown. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

As Lee’s specs are custom, the exact style can’t be worn by others. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024

And, because each batch of the product is custom, the application will always be completely unique—who doesn’t love bespoke design? —Maggie Gillette, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Dec. 2023

Each tile passes through 13 sets of hands while being made Though the brand is leaning into its contemporary vision, one integral part of its operation has remained evergreen: every tile made is completely custom. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 21 Mar. 2024

But many major games have adopted custom anti-cheat systems now that cheaters are getting more sophisticated. —Sean Hollister, The Verge, 2 Mar. 2024

This great room also houses a wood stove and a modern kitchen with a prep pantry, custom Italian cabinetry, and a leathered quartzite kitchen island. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024

Don't stop the music Don't forget a good speaker to play your custom Grammy soundtrack. —Bradley Geiser, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2024

No room was an afterthought— even the mudroom off the kitchen features custom Spanish tile. —Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 15 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English custume, from Anglo-French, from Latin consuetudin-, consuetudo, from consuescere to accustom, from com- + suescere to accustom; akin to suus one's own — more at suicide

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing custom

• custom-built
• custom-made
• custom-tailor

Kids Definition

custom

1 of 2 noun

cus·​tom ˈkəs-təm 

1

: the usual way of doing things : the usual practice of a person or group

2

plural : duties or taxes paid on imports or exports

3

: support given a business by its customers

custom

2 of 2 adjective

1

: made or done to order

custom clothes

2

: specializing in custom work

a custom tailor

Legal Definition

custom

noun

cus·​tom

1

: a practice common to many or to a particular place or institution

especially : a long-established practice that is generally recognized as having the force of law see also section 1983 compare usage

2

plural

a

: duties, tolls, or imposts imposed by the law of a country on imports or exports

b

usually singular in construction : the agency, establishment, or procedure for collecting such customs