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

For more details on the claims process or to download a claim form, visit the Hoosier Lottery Winners page or contact the customer service team at 1-800-955-6886. —Chris Sims, IndyStar, 6 Feb. 2026

But while Wall Street balks at the bountiful spending, tech companies are racing to build more infrastructure to keep up with customer demand for AI services. —Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026

If passed, the bill would allow residential ratepayers to be placed on budget billing plans on July 1, and utilities will be prohibited from disconnecting low-income customers’ services during periods with extreme heat warnings. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026

The two shared a dinner while Lewis was researching Going Infinite, because Lewis had sought out Altman to discuss Bankman-Fried, given that the FTX founder had purchased a 20% stake in OpenAI rival Anthropic using customer funds. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 5 Feb. 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
• 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