clientele
noun
cli·en·tele
ˌklī-ən-ˈtel 
ˌklē-ən-
also ˌklē-ˌän-
: a body of clients
a shop that caters to an exclusive clientele
Examples of clientele in a Sentence
… Gottfried had been complaining for months that our local clientele didn't have the class to appreciate the house.
—
Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003
The lunchtime clientele at TJ's was polymorphous as usual, as at District Court, though there was a higher percentage of respectable clients here—local business folk having lunch at one of the last downtown bars that served decent food but wasn't fancy.
—Tracy Kidder, Home Town, 1999
The collections shown last month not only had plenty of clothes for the couture clientele to choose from, but, even more importantly, they were loaded with multiple messages for the fashion community at large.
—Carrie Donovan, New York Times Magazine, 21 Feb. 1988
According to the State Department in-jokes, this was the most exclusive place in Washington. For its clientele was made up almost entirely of CIA and KGB agents watching one another watching other people.
—Erich Segal, The Class, (1985) 1986
The restaurant generally attracts an older clientele.
Jane Smiley, Good Faith, 2003
The lunchtime clientele at TJ's was polymorphous as usual, as at District Court, though there was a higher percentage of respectable clients here—local business folk having lunch at one of the last downtown bars that served decent food but wasn't fancy.
—Tracy Kidder, Home Town, 1999
The collections shown last month not only had plenty of clothes for the couture clientele to choose from, but, even more importantly, they were loaded with multiple messages for the fashion community at large.
—Carrie Donovan, New York Times Magazine, 21 Feb. 1988
According to the State Department in-jokes, this was the most exclusive place in Washington. For its clientele was made up almost entirely of CIA and KGB agents watching one another watching other people.
—Erich Segal, The Class, (1985) 1986
The restaurant generally attracts an older clientele.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Stonewall Inn was a refuge for its clientele, and one of the few establishments that welcomed drag queens.
—Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
The firm, founded in 2005, was intended to disrupt the stuffily old-fashioned approach that dominated luxe travel, with the goal of broaden its appeal to a younger moneyed clientele.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
Archived, whose clientele consists mostly of celebrities and high-profile curators such as Timothée Chalamet, Travis Scott and Don Toliver, sources its pieces through consignments from sellers and endless hours spent hunting across international marketplaces.
—Samantha Lee
connect
april 17, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Unlike their colonial-era clientele, mid-century Indonesian customers no longer wanted their pictures taken against European-style backdrops showing flowers or curtains.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clientele
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Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 21 Apr. 2026
The firm, founded in 2005, was intended to disrupt the stuffily old-fashioned approach that dominated luxe travel, with the goal of broaden its appeal to a younger moneyed clientele.
—The Editors, Robb Report, 20 Apr. 2026
Archived, whose clientele consists mostly of celebrities and high-profile curators such as Timothée Chalamet, Travis Scott and Don Toliver, sources its pieces through consignments from sellers and endless hours spent hunting across international marketplaces.
—Samantha Lee
connect
april 17, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Unlike their colonial-era clientele, mid-century Indonesian customers no longer wanted their pictures taken against European-style backdrops showing flowers or curtains.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clientele
Cite this Entry
“Clientele.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clientele. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clientele
noun
cli·en·tele
ˌklī-ən-ˈtel
: a group of clients
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