customer

noun

cus·​tom·​er ˈkə-stə-mər 

1

: one that purchases a commodity or service

The customer used a credit card for the purchase.

2

: an individual usually having some specified distinctive trait

a real tough customer

… let me give you the advice of an old and world-weary customer.

—Flannery O'Connor

Synonyms of customer

• client
• patron
• guest

Examples of customer in a Sentence

She is one of our best customers.

She's a pretty cool customer.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the meantime, customers like 31-year-old Kheira Bettir will continue to don their full ensembles. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2026

Wise leaders create cultures that arm employees with the capacity, authority, and encouragement to deliver customer experiences with a surprise. — Chip Bell, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026

Alibaba has bolstered that cycle by distributing Qwen through its cloud platform to enterprise customers in markets including Southeast Asia and Africa, giving it a reach that many rivals lack. — Saritha Rai, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026

Nino DiCosmo, President of Maritime, Space and Mission Systems at L3Harris, emphasized that the facility will enable the company to meet customer demand with greater speed and scale. — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English custumer, from custume — see custom entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing customer

• cool customer
• customer base
• customer service
• paying customer
• regular customer

Kids Definition

customer

noun

cus·​tom·​er ˈkəs-tə-mər 

1

: one that buys a product or service

2

: individual entry 2 sense 2, fellow

he's a real tough customer

Legal Definition

customer

noun

cus·​to·​mer

1

: a person or business that purchases a commodity or service

2

a

: a person or entity having an account with a bank or on whose behalf the bank has agreed to collect items

b

: a person or entity for whom an issuer issues a letter of credit