customer
Americannoun
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a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.
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Informal. a person one has to deal with.
a tough customer; a cool customer.
noun
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a person who buys
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informal a person with whom one has dealings
a cool 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; see customary
Explanation
A customer is anyone paying for a good or service. Without customers, businesses would go out of business. When you're paying for just about anything, you're a customer. People shopping at the grocery store, sitting in coffee shops, going to movies, and buying DVDs online are all customers. The point of advertising is to drum up new customers for a business. There's a cliché that "The customer is always right," which is obviously not true, but shows how businesses try to make customers happy. They'd better. Without customers, any business is in deep trouble.
Vocabulary lists containing customer
Business, List 1
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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Unit 17, Lesson 2
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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.
Starbucks executives have said they aim to boost customer visits with better service, upgraded stores and new beverages, instead of discounts.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026
"Meter costs are already accounted for in customer bills because of this, this is just the upgrading of the types of meters," she said.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
The images can then be compared with pictures taken when a customer first used the ticket or annual pass.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Adobe tried to assuage some concerns last week when it released an AI agent platform called CX Enterprise, which is designed to help companies boost sales, improve customer experience, and quicken time-intensive tasks.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
The salesperson helping her was distracted when another customer asked a question.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
