client

American  

[klahy-uhnt] / ˈklaɪ ənt /

noun

• clients
  plural

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.

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adjective

1. being a regular customer.

   a client company.

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

client British  

/ ˈklaɪənt, klaɪˈɛntəl /

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

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client Scientific  

/ 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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cliental
  adjective
• nonclient
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clients
  plural

Etymology

Origin of client

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” ( see incline)

Explanation

If you pay for something, you are a client. If you pay to get your dog groomed, you are a client of the dog groomer (and so is your pooch). If you shop at a certain store or use the services of a particular business, then you are a client of that store or business. If you want to go into acting, for example, you'll need to become a client of a talent agent. In computer terms, a client is a computer that makes a request of another computer, called a server. The term client is especially used in networks where one server may handle multiple requests from multiple clients.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

client clients

Flores’ attorney Greg Smith said that his client tried to report misconduct by going through the proper channels but still ended up being targeted by the department and, later, prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

“The facilities remain in the Fed’s toolbox and can be reactivated as needed,” the team wrote in an Aug. 14 client note.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Michael Sanft, Davis’ defense attorney, told jurors in opening statements there would be no evidence linking his client to the shooting.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026

Khan's lawyer claimed at the time that his client had 15% vision left in his right eye after prison authorities failed to take action.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“Your client will wait. What do you know about jurda parem?”

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

About 140 of the investment bank’s clients attended a conference call it organized about the Brighthouse transaction last week, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Learning about wine has helped Monteiro Kempf maintain longer-term relationships with like-minded colleagues and clients, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Heidi Gibaut, executive director at Law At Work, said a lot of the firm's clients had taken on secondary roles to boost their income.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

He tells his clients to think about the difference between the money spent launching themselves and the money coming back as a result.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

I frequently had difficult conversations with clients who were struggling and despairing over their situations—over the things they'd done, or had been done to them, that had led them to painful moments.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Related Words

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