customer

noun

cus·​tom·​er ˈkə-stə-mər How to pronounce customer (audio)
Synonyms of customer
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

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Examples of customer in a Sentence

She is one of our best customers. She's a pretty cool customer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Qatar, one of the world’s leading producers of LNG, is trying to find some way to keep its export routes open, through diplomacy, finding new customers, and taking rare opportunities to get their product through Hormuz. — Katie Silver, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026 What follows is the first-party career, in which the asset a worker carries out the door is a direct line to an audience or a customer that no platform and no employer controls. — Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Recent drone deliveries have not been flawless — a video spread across the internet earlier this month after an Amazon drone dropped a Texas customer’s package into her swimming pool. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Which is why customers won’t see extensive material on local true crime cases, like Bob Berdella, out of respect to the victims’ families still around, Cameron said. — Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for customer

Word History

Etymology

Middle English custumer, from custume — see custom entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of customer was in the 15th century

Phrases Containing customer

Browse Nearby Words

custom-built
customer
customer's broker
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Customer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/customer. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

customer

noun
cus·​tom·​er ˈkəs-tə-mər How to pronounce customer (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on customer

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about customer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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