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.
Its prospective customers include the Department of Defense, police departments, military organizations and emergency responders. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026 Twilio sells infrastructure for customer engagement in the AI era. — Chris Koehler, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026 Those tankers transfer oil to other tankers waiting in the Gulf of Oman for shipment to customers in Asia. — Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026 Comcast did manage to trim its broadband losses to 376,000 subscribers during the third quarter, an improvement from 475,000 broadband customer losses a year-ago. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 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

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