custom

1 of 2

noun

cus·tom ˈkə-stəm

Synonyms of custom next

: 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

: long-established practice considered as unwritten law

: repeated practice

Custom makes all things easy.

: the whole body of usages, practices, or conventions that regulate social life

… family, kinship, and custom constituted the grounds of community.—

V. B. Leitch

customs plural

: duties, tolls, or imposts imposed by the sovereign law of a country on imports or exports

usually singular in construction : the agency, establishment, or procedure for collecting such customs

went through customs at the airport without any difficulty

: business patronage (see patronage sense 4)

: usually habitual patrons : customers

custom

2 of 2

adjective

: made or performed according to personal order

: specializing in custom work or operation

a custom tailor

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Example Sentences

Noun 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. Adjective The new kitchen will have custom cabinets. that business tycoon wears only custom suits See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The store also creates unique, custom designs for new jewelry, including engagement rings with black onyx and sapphire stones. —

Roxana Becerril, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2023 The star chose a custom Armani Privé couture gown, which was entirely embroidered with black sequins and floral appliqués. —

Christian Allaire, Vogue, 13 Mar. 2023 The beauty mogul and her stylist Karla Welch settled on a timeless long-sleeve column gown, a custom Saint Laurent creation. —

Emma Spedding, Glamour, 13 Mar. 2023 Malala Yousafzai, the activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is wearing a custom silver sequined gown by Ralph Lauren with an integrated headscarf and a train. —

Rory Satran, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2023 Filmmaker Lukas Dhont appeared to the ceremony donning a custom Prada suit with a vibrant red top and glittering shirt under. —

Isiah Magsino, Town & Country, 12 Mar. 2023 Ahead of what could surely be the brand’s biggest year to date, Sarnevesht and team have launched a custom social media converter for creators to transfer their entire video sharing accounts, including usernames, to Triller. —

Billboard Staff, Billboard, 10 Mar. 2023 Most manufacturers didn’t accommodate beyond a certain waist size or offer the ability to custom-design special fits. —

Dakota Kim, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2023 According to Brides, the custom Michael Cinco gown weighed 100 lbs. —

People Staff, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2023

Adjective

The prince dressed in full military attire, as is custom, for the event. —

Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 17 Mar. 2023 Case in point: Last year, DeLeon accomplished a fashion-food-anthropological trifecta, emblazoning a custom Bode jacket, along with brand founder Emily Bode, with illustrations of his favorite childhood Filipino snacks. —

Melissa Magsaysay, ELLE, 16 Mar. 2023 The island in the kitchen is brass, the cabinetry is cerused oak, the countertops are marble, and the light fixtures are custom. —

Celia Barbour, ELLE Decor, 14 Mar. 2023 When equipped with the custom-fit weight bag, the Lead Sled FCX will ensure proper, repeatable shots time and time again that also reduce felt recoil up to 95%. —

T. Logan Metesh, Field & Stream, 13 Mar. 2023 Cowboy’s premium 4-series e-bikes start at $2,990 / €2,990 and are slathered in sensors, including one for torque that causes the custom 250W rear-hub motor to respond intuitively to each downstroke of the pedal. —

Thomas Ricker, The Verge, 9 Mar. 2023 There are also custom Statuarietto kitchen islands, as well as bespoke furnishings in each residence. —

Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2023 Note: Many compost bags will work, but for the best fit, the company recommends its custom-fit compost bags. —

Sarah Wharton, Good Housekeeping, 17 Feb. 2023 For the dedication ceremony, the First Lady wore another custom Markarian look. —

Alison S. Cohn, Harper's BAZAAR, 16 Feb. 2023 See More

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

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

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of custom was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century