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

To recreate a premium shopping experience, department stores have to find the right balance between stocking enough variety to serve a range of customers and not cluttering stores with too many products. —Phil Wahba, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025

Protests surround store opening As customers first entered the new Shein store on Wednesday, riot police officers stood watch. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 7 Nov. 2025

GCCs today manage key functions that directly influence decisions, revenue and customer experience. —Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2025

Microsoft, which has a dominant position in enterprise software and focuses largely on business customers, wants to build AI capabilities into Office and Windows that can automate complex tasks out of the box. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025

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
• 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