client

[ klahy-uhnt ]

noun

1. a person or group that uses the professional advice or services of a lawyer, accountant, advertising agency, architect, etc.
2. a person who is receiving the benefits, services, etc., of a social welfare agency, a government bureau, etc.
3. a customer.
4. anyone under the patronage of another; a dependent.
5. Computers. a computer or an application on a computer that communicates with a remote server:

   Exit the program before installing the patch to update the client.

6. client state.
7. (in ancient Rome) a plebeian who lived under the patronage of a patrician.

adjective

1. being a regular customer:

   a client company.

2. economically, and often militarily, dependent upon a more prosperous, more powerful nation.

client

/ klaɪˈɛntəl; ˈklaɪənt /

noun

1. a person, company, etc, that seeks the advice of a professional man or woman
2. a customer
3. a person who is registered with or receiving services or financial aid from a welfare agency
4. computing a program or work station that requests data or information from a server
5. a person depending on another's patronage

client

/ klī′ənt /

1. A program that runs on a personal computer or workstation connected to a computer network and requests information from a file server.

Derived Forms

• cliental, adjective

Other Words From

• cli·en·tal [klahy-, en, -tl, klahy, -, uh, n-tl], adjective
• non·client adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of client¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin client-, stem of cliēns “person seeking the protection or influence of someone powerful”; perhaps akin to clīnāre “to bend” ( incline )

Word History and Origins

Origin of client¹

C14: from Latin cliēns retainer, dependant; related to Latin clīnāre to lean

Example Sentences

Hunter Biden’s attorney has said that his client did not receive any compensation, either in the form of a return on investment or due to his position on the board.

From Washington Post

The rest — that would call for a more pan-regional publisher — are less common but require large global clients to pull them off and, naturally, fetch a higher price tag.

From Digiday

Iconiq Capital, a multifamily office whose clients include Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, took part in multiple Snowflake funding rounds beginning in 2017.

From Fortune

Since then, the company has had great success attracting clients like Capital One, Office Depot, and DoorDash.

From Fortune

The firm took a hit at “the worst possible moment” because its portfolios were positioned at the start of the year to benefit from rising markets, Dalio told clients in mid-March.

From Fortune

“We all shook hands and my client told me to leave,” he said.

From The Daily Beast

She says she will have to fight in “other ways” to get her client freed.

From The Daily Beast

“Our first few months we had maybe one client and then we went on The Tyra Banks Show,” says James.

From The Daily Beast

Average age ranges from 45 to 65, with her youngest client at 18 and the oldest in her 80s.

From The Daily Beast

The first thing Joplin needs to find out before he will agree to officiate a wedding is why his potential client is in prison.

From The Daily Beast

David Arden, as he promised, had dictated to him in outline the awful case he had massed against his client.

From Project Gutenberg

At a circuit dinner, a counsellor observed to another, "I shall certainly hang your client."

From Project Gutenberg

If a client goes to a lawyer for advice the first thing the lawyer asks him to do is to make a clean breast of it.

From Project Gutenberg

He was especially noted for his success in criminal cases, almost always clearing his client.

From Project Gutenberg

It seems this client is willing to pay me my own price—within reasonable limits of course.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• applicant
• buyer
• consumer
• patient
• patron
• shopper