clientele
Americannoun
-
the clients or customers, as of a professional person or shop, considered collectively; a group or body of clients.
This jewelry store has a wealthy clientele.
-
dependents or followers.
noun
Etymology
Origin of clientele
1555–65; < Latin clientēla, equivalent to client- ( see client) + -ēla collective noun suffix; clientele ( def. 1 ) probably < French clientèle < Latin
Explanation
Your customers are your clientele. If you own a pet food store, your clientele might be two-footed and four-pawed. The noun clientele is often preceded by an adjective to describe the exact type of customer. Little boutiques in upscale neighborhoods probably cater to an exclusive clientele, while the kids' hair salon might have Barney on video to keep the young clientele motionless in their chairs. Regardless of business type, you are always trying to please the clientele.
Vocabulary lists containing clientele
Vocabulary from an excerpt from "Confessions of a 30-Year-Old Gamer," by Ta-Nehisi Paul Coates
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Six of Crows
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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.
For neighboring towns and airports, the closure is an opportunity to reach a new clientele.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Mwedziwendira is now figuring out how to build her West Coast clientele after starting EP Studio, a Washington, D.C., creative studio and PR firm, a year ago.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
On some nights so many people show up that Lidl employs a team of bouncers to keep the thirsty clientele in check.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Vroman’s catered to various clientele and communities, from traveling dignitaries to academics and leisure readers on vacation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
But that meant I would earn very little until I could build up a clientele.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
