custom

noun cus·tom \ ˈkə-stəm \

|Updated on: 20 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: custom in a Sentence

Definition of custom

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 4)

b : usually habitual patrons : customers

See custom defined for English-language learners

See custom defined for kids

Examples of custom in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of custom from the Web

Chicago Ridge Mall bringing back Holiday Pop-Up Battle Robin Wilson won the first Battle of the Pop-Up at Chicago Ridge Mall and in June opened her custom hair business Le’ Tresses, which has been well received by the community.

— bob bong, Daily Southtown, "Comings & Goings: ‘Top Chef’ concession stand opens at Toyota Park," 10 July 2018
Once in the camps, as they were taught the customs of white Australian society, they were forbidden to speak their native language.

— jacqueline williams, BostonGlobe.com, "Daisy Kadibil, whose Australia trek inspired a film, dies at 95," 29 June 2018
The custom led local townships to develop an unusual post — raft inspector.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "They love fishing, so they set cabins afloat: Wolf River rafts are 'home' to some anglers," 20 June 2018
Grande was previously spotted wearing the custom $93,000 diamond ring at the iHeartRadio Wango Tango concert on June 2, a week before the engagement was reported.

— shanté honeycutt, Billboard, "Pete Davidson Shares Dreamy Photo of Ariana Grande's Engagement Ring: See the Pic," 15 June 2018
Pete reportedly had the ring custom made last month and the 3-carat monster cost him $93,000.

— kelsey stiegman, Seventeen, "Ariana Grande Confirms Her Engagement to Pete Davidson With HUGE Ring," 12 June 2018
From birth, Southerners are packed chock-full with the customs of our deeply rooted heritage.

— kaitlyn yarborough, Southern Living, "What Does It Really Mean To Have Southern Taste?," 8 June 2018
Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, said last week that Hassett had provided him with the jobs report data on May 31 after receiving it early, as is custom.

— jim puzzanghera, latimes.com, "Democratic senators call for probe into whether Trump's jobs tweet led to market manipulation," 8 June 2018
Boys in the British royal family still observe the custom of short suiting.

— tony bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, "LeBron’s Thom Browne shorts suit, explained," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'custom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of custom

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

custom Synonyms

Synonyms

fashion, habit, habitude, pattern, practice (also practise), ritual, second nature, trick, way, wont;

Related Words

addiction;

disposition;

bent, inclination, proclivity, set, tendency, tenor, turn;

bag, convention, form, mode, style;

usage, use;

deportment, manners, mores;

drill, groove, jog trot, regime (also régime), regimen, rote, routine, rut;

affectation, airs, pose;

attribute, characteristic, mark, trait;

Synonym Discussion of 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

custom

adjective

Definition of custom

1 : made or performed according to personal order

2 : specializing in custom work or operation

a custom tailor

See custom defined for English-language learners

Examples of custom in a Sentence

The new kitchen will have custom cabinets.
that business tycoon wears only custom suits

Recent Examples of custom from the Web

The kitchen is equipped with a custom steel island on casters, made by Michael Daniel Metal Design, so it can be rolled out to the deck and used as a buffet for outdoor dinners.

— tim mckeough, New York Times, "A Shipshape House in the Hamptons," 19 June 2018
For YouTube creators, catching the eyes of potential new viewers starts with a good, custom thumbnail.

— megan farokhmanesh, The Verge, "YouTube kills some creators’ custom-made thumbnail images in latest experiment," 28 June 2018
Geff worked in the automotive business, specializing in custom auto body and repair.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Geoffrey S. Grocki," 3 June 2018
Gerde is currently working on a book about minimalist living and home-schools their son, so custom workspace and storage were built-in to tuck their school supplies away after-hours.

— rachel raczk, chicagotribune.com, "How do couples live in tiny homes without killing each other?," 17 May 2017
The parade will include custom bike builders, stunt teams, charitable groups and HOG chapters, as well as a few surprise guests.

— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 picks for Harley’s 115th Labor Day anniversary," 19 June 2018
The Golden Knights set team records for merchandise sales at Games 1 and 2 of the Cup Final, according to Rank + Rally, a company that creates custom merchandise and retail experiences for fans.

— helene elliott, latimes.com, "Capitals don't offer much of an update on Evegeny Kuznetsov's status for Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final," 1 June 2018
Everything that’s in use now — custom audiences, lookalike, all the weird retargeting, the pair of shoes that follow you onto Facebook — that was all created then.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Former Facebook ad targeting boss Antonio García-Martínez on Too Embarrassed to Ask," 14 May 2018
Hannah designs custom engagement rings through her own line, J. Hannah, and many of her clients are in nontraditional relationships, or at least come to her for nontraditional rings.

— emily farra, Vogue, "Introducing Ceremony, a New Line of Diamond Rings, Signets, and Pavé Bands to Celebrate “Love of All Kinds”," 10 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of custom

see ¹custom

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1757

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

custom Synonyms

CUSTOM Defined for English Language Learners

custom

noun

Definition of custom for English Language Learners

: an action or way of behaving that is usual and traditional among the people in a particular group or place
: something that is done regularly by a person
customs : taxes or fees that are paid to the government when goods come into or go out of a country

custom

adjective

Definition of custom for English Language Learners

: made to fit the needs or requirements of a particular person
: doing work that fits the needs or requirements of a particular person

CUSTOM Defined for Kids

custom

noun cus·tom \ ˈkə-stəm \

Definition of custom for Students

1 : the usual way of doing things : the usual practice

2 customs plural : duties or taxes paid on imports or exports

3 : support given to a business by its customers

Buyers grew tired of waiting … and … took their custom elsewhere.
—Linda Sue Park, A Single Shard

custom

adjective

Definition of custom for Students

1 : made or done to personal order

custom furniture

2 : specializing in work done to personal order

a custom printer

Headscratcher for custom

Custom means the usual way of doing things, but custom can also mean that something has been made according to a special order.

Law Dictionary

custom

noun cus·tom

legal Definition of custom

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