customs
Britishnoun
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duty on imports or exports
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the government department responsible for the collection of these duties
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the part of a port, airport, frontier station, etc, where baggage and freight are examined for dutiable goods and contraband
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the procedure for examining baggage and freight, paying duty, etc
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( as modifier )
customs officer
Explanation
Customs are taxes, or duties, that you sometimes have to pay when you import goods from another country. When you return home from a trip to another country, you have to clear customs by talking to a customs officer and declaring everything you bought or got as a gift while you were traveling. If you're bringing in a lot of stuff, you may have to pay customs — the duty on imports. Customs are a source of income for a country, and they also provide control over what’s coming in.
Vocabulary lists containing customs
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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.
They range from the language and customs, to the schedule and travel, to the competition, to the baseball itself.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
After the reflecting pool tangent, Trump signed executive orders on US customs and protections for civil servants.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
The statement also said that Ukrainian forces "are causing damage to military infrastructure and facilities used for military purposes, strictly adhering to the norms of international humanitarian law, laws and customs of war".
From BBC • May 22, 2026
The day after the rules appeared, Reuters reported that Chinese customs officers had been told not to let the chips in.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
He knew the local customs, values, and traditions well and had put them to good use in the courtroom.
From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson
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.
