customer

noun cus·tom·er \ ˈkə-stə-mər \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of customer

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

See customer defined for English-language learners

See customer defined for kids

Examples of customer in a Sentence

She is one of our best customers.
She's a pretty cool customer.

Recent Examples of customer from the Web

There are a handful of elderly neighborhood residents, sometimes a parent with kids, but often the customers are people dealing with addiction, homelessness, and trauma.

— samantha melamed, Philly.com, "Mural Arts as harm reduction: 'Today was my 24th overdose reversal'," 15 May 2018
Joanna Johnson, of Barrington, was among the customers who bought a banana tree Sunday at Ted’s.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Despite spring snows, area greenhouses deliver motherlode of flowers for moms," 14 May 2018
Ribbon buys the house, and the customers have time to arrange financing.

— ely portillo, charlotteobserver, "These companies turned to digital disruption to upend how homes are sold in Charlotte | Charlotte Observer," 14 May 2018
Another man approached and pointed a gun at the customer.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "Ride-booking driver makes customer disrobe before robbery, one of three New Orleans holdups," 12 May 2018
Wines or other beverages can be supplied by the customer or for an additional charge by the company.

— carol deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Former chef is starting Kinetic Kitchen for in-home dinner parties," 11 May 2018
The data-center segment has plenty of upside remaining, as the largest customers are still boosting their spending.

— dan gallagher, WSJ, "Nvidia’s Cloud Bill Comes Due," 10 May 2018
Last October, the fast-food chain seemed to troll McDonald’s by giving out free Whoppers to the first 500 customers dressed as a clown on Halloween.

— mariah haas, PEOPLE.com, "A Burger King in Massachusetts Just Asked Its Neighbor Wendy's to Prom," 9 May 2018
The store was a riot of white, blue, khaki, pink, and black, since the customers were wearing the same strict palette as the employees, like a herd of normcore zebras.

— kyle chayka, The New Republic, "How Tech Is Remaking Fashion in Its Image," 9 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of customer

Middle English custumer, from custume — see ¹custom

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

customer Synonyms

Phrases

son of man;

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

CUSTOMER Defined for English Language Learners

customer

noun

Definition of customer for English Language Learners

: someone who buys goods or services from a business
: a person who has a particular quality

CUSTOMER Defined for Kids

customer

noun cus·tom·er \ ˈkə-stə-mər \

Definition of customer for Students

: a person who buys from or uses the services of a company especially regularly

Law Dictionary

customer

noun cus·to·mer

legal Definition of customer

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

Learn More about customer

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for customer Spanish Central: Translation of customer Nglish: Translation of customer for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of customer for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about customer

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customer

Definition of customer

Examples of customer in a Sentence

Recent Examples of customer from the Web

Origin and Etymology of customer

customer Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Other Business Terms

Phrases Related to CUSTOMER

Related Phrases

CUSTOMER Defined for English Language Learners

customer

Definition of customer for English Language Learners

CUSTOMER Defined for Kids

customer

Definition of customer for Students

Law Dictionary

customer

legal Definition of customer

Learn More about customer

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