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
Did a company with standard all-wheel-drive and more flannel-shod clientele than the craft beer industry really need something even more off-roady to keep up with the Joneses?
—Byron Hurd, The Drive, 22 Jan. 2026
The former estate of James Bond author Ian Fleming, Goldeneye has long attracted an endless list of glamorous celebrity clientele (the driveway is lined by trees donated by the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jude Law, Willie Nelson, and Martha Stewart).
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
The Gritti is plush but never brash, and its clientele tends to match.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
The best dressed women in the world adored his designs, and his clientele included everyone from American First Ladies and Movie Stars to members of the aristocracy.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clientele
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Byron Hurd, The Drive, 22 Jan. 2026
The former estate of James Bond author Ian Fleming, Goldeneye has long attracted an endless list of glamorous celebrity clientele (the driveway is lined by trees donated by the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jude Law, Willie Nelson, and Martha Stewart).
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2026
The Gritti is plush but never brash, and its clientele tends to match.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Jan. 2026
The best dressed women in the world adored his designs, and his clientele included everyone from American First Ladies and Movie Stars to members of the aristocracy.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 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 27 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clientele
noun
cli·en·tele
ˌklī-ən-ˈtel
: a group of clients
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