Customer Definition & Meaning

American

British

Idioms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms customer American [kuhs-tuh-mer] / ˈkʌs tə mər /

noun

1. a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.

2. Informal. a person one has to deal with.

   a tough customer; a cool customer.

customer British / ˈkʌstəmə /

noun

1. a person who buys

2. informal a person with whom one has dealings

   a cool customer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 customer Idioms

1. see ugly customer.

Etymology

Origin of customer

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; custom + -er 1; compare Middle English customer “collector of customs,” from Anglo-French; Old French costumier, cognate with Medieval Latin custumārius; customary

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Attacks caused structural damage, power disruption, and water damage, prompting Amazon to advise customers to relocate workloads.

From Barron's

“Our data sources show our overall market share was at least flat, pointing to slightly softer customer demand for our industry during the holiday quarter,” CEO Corie Barry said in a statement.

From Barron's

Some customers tip to genuinely reward good service.

From Science Daily

The US, Ukraine, and Nato all use tech from Palantir, an American company which provides data analytics tools to government customers for intelligence gathering, surveillance, counterterrorism, and military purposes.

From BBC

Its key global customers expect demand growth over 2026-2027, the analysts note.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• client
• consumer
• patron
• purchaser

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.