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 of customer

• client
• patron
• guest

Examples of customer in a Sentence

She is one of our best customers.

She's a pretty cool customer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Those include loyalty, membership or rewards programs that customers enroll in or if the savings are offered to broad groups of people, such as teachers, military members or senior citizens. — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 11 July 2026

About 2,000 of the Charlotte customers were in South End and 2,000 in the Park Road-Kenilworth Avenue areas. — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 11 July 2026

During the storm’s peak, it was estimated that 868,000 ComEd customers were without power — more than in any storm in at least the previous decade. — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026

That’s why ResMed customers are seeing big shifts toward offline meetups and community pages, which help build brand loyalty in a different way. — Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 11 July 2026

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

• cool customer
• customer base
• customer service
• paying 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