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

Ruemmler has said she regrets knowing Epstein and maintained they had a professional relationship based on a shared mutual client, the Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild Group.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

If the crash involved an Uber or Lyft, which are required to have top-of-the-line insurance policies, Henderson said he got about $5,000 per client.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Then, a client is encouraged to create art.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Falana, who would not discuss the case itself, said Adeyemi had assured him he would appear for his trial, though Falana did not know where his client was.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Besides, I don’t need to like a client in order to work for him.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

One of his concerns was about the exclusivity of the deal - under its terms, Andrew could only introduce wealthy clients to Cantor Fitzgerald and no-one else.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

If plans are accelerated, pipelines would cover 75% of the region’s oil exports by the end of 2028, the bank said in a note to clients.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

When Matt Sheers advises clients who want to load up on single stocks, he explains what they’re up against.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

California bans non-attorneys from directly soliciting or procuring clients to sign up for lawsuits.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

He used to do that when he thought about his research and his clients.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Related Words

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