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

• account
• client
• guest
• patron
• punter [chiefly British]

Examples of customer in a Sentence

She is one of our best customers.

She's a pretty cool customer.

Recent Examples on the Web

This fall, the brand announced the opening of Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, a dedicated space located a stone’s throw from Cadillac’s design studios in Warren, Mich., where customers can collaborate one-on-one with designers to create their own Celestiq examples. —Laura Burstein, Robb Report, 14 Dec. 2023

Prospective customers can also tap Music Story’s U.S. and international metadata services. —Chris Eggertsen, Billboard, 14 Dec. 2023

Commerce Federal chief executive Patrick Collins declined to comment on customer matters or credit union protocols, but said fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated. —Michael Laris, Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2023

In October, Charter began rolling out Xumo boxes to Spectrum video customers with a different model: New customers will get one free Xumo Stream Box per household for 12 months and then can either pay $60 for an outright purchase of the device or a $5/month service fee to use it. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 13 Dec. 2023

Emerging brands have opportunities to target specific segments, geographies, and customer needs by developing offerings with relevant messaging. —Brian Framson, Rolling Stone, 13 Dec. 2023

Workday’s vice president of AI, Kathy Pham, stressed the importance of aligning AI efforts with customer needs. —Kylie Robison, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2023

But Jacobson is optimistic about GM’s EV business, saying the automaker aims to adapt as customer preferences shift. —Jennifer Williams-Alvarez, WSJ, 13 Dec. 2023

An archived version from last month said the company had more than 25 million customers, the vast majority of them mobile users. —Kevin Collier, NBC News, 12 Dec. 2023

See More

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

• paying customer
• customer base
• cool customer
• regular customer

• paying customer
• customer base
• cool 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