custom

[ kuhs-tuhm ]

See synonyms for: custom customs on Thesaurus.com

noun

a habitual practice; the usual way of acting in given circumstances.
habits or usages collectively; convention.

a practice so long established that it has the force of law.
such practices collectively.
Sociology. a group pattern of habitual activity usually transmitted from one generation to another.
toll; duty.
customs,
- (used with a singular or plural verb) duties imposed by law on imported or, less commonly, exported goods.
- (used with a singular verb) the government department that collects these duties.
- (used with a singular verb) the section of an airport, station, etc., where baggage is checked for contraband and for goods subject to duty.
regular patronage of a particular shop, restaurant, etc.
the customers or patrons of a business firm, collectively.
the aggregate of customers.
(in medieval Europe) a customary tax, tribute, or service owed by peasants to their lord.

adjective

made specially for individual customers: custom shoes.
dealing in things so made, or doing work to order: a custom tailor.

Origin of custom

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English custume, from Anglo-French; Old French costume, from Vulgar Latin co(n)s(uē)tūmin- (unrecorded), replacing Latin consuētūdin-, stem of consuētūdō “habit, practice, tradition,” from consuē(tus) “accustomed” (past participle of consuēscere “to accustom onself,” from con- con- + suēscere “to become accustomed,” akin to suus “one's own”) + -tūdō -tude;cf. costume

synonym study For custom

1, 2. Custom, habit, practice mean an established way of doing things. Custom, applied to a community or to an individual, implies a more or less permanent continuance of a social usage: It is the custom to give gifts at Christmas time. Habit, applied particularly to an individual, implies such repetition of the same action as to develop a natural, spontaneous, or rooted tendency or inclination to perform it: to make a habit of reading the newspapers. Practice applies to a set of fixed habits or an ordered procedure in conducting activities: It is his practice to verify all statements.

Words Nearby custom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use custom in a sentence

Trusted Media Brands’ edit integrations, for example, do not cost the same as custom content, Gier said, who declined to share specific prices.
‘Nothing quite like being forced’: Publishers whip up quicker, cheaper ad products for advertisers | Max Willens | August 27, 2020 | Digiday
It was just in January that Kristen took us along for the ride as she dove into the world of women’s custom suits.
Women are finally reclaiming the ‘house dress’ | Claire Zillman, reporter | August 21, 2020 | Fortune
The May rules ban any firm, American or not, from using American software or chipmaking equipment to create custom-made processors for Huawei.
Huawei said the U.S. couldn’t ‘crush’ it. Trump is starving it instead | claychandler | August 20, 2020 | Fortune
Instead of shots of cohosts gallivanting around on holiday, for example, Insider’s custom productions now might rely on voice-overs on footage shot on location.
”Pivot” has been the word’: How travel publishers are navigating the coronavirus pandemic | Max Willens | August 20, 2020 | Digiday
Investors certainly saw the loss of Huawei’s custom chips as MediaTek’s gain.
This chipmaker was a winner in the U.S. crackdown on Huawei. Now, it’s another victim | Grady McGregor | August 20, 2020 | Fortune

Through his company, consumers will be able to cheaply make custom DNA strands, including what Heinz calls “creatures.”
Design Your Own Dinosaur: The Era of Custom DNA | Justin Jones | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
I spent half an hour measuring all around the president to get the 27 precise measurements I needed to craft a true custom suit.
From Auschwitz to the White House: One Tailor’s American Tale | Martin Greenfield | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He later told CNN that eating cat was a pre-war custom across Italy.
Will the Swiss Quit Cooking their Kittens and Puppies? | Barbie Latza Nadeau | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He slept in an upright position in a custom armchair, so the reasons for his lying down to sleep are open to speculation.
The True Story of ‘The Elephant Man’ | Russell Saunders | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Fly a Union flag when custom dictates it should be the Royal Standard?
Inside The Palace Panic After Diana's Death | Tom Sykes | September 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
When his lordship retired early, as was his custom, the other men adjourned once more to the billiard-room.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
When Cortez made conquest of Mexico in 1519 smoking seemed to be a common as well as an ancient custom among the natives.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
But for the most part even industry and endowment were powerless against the inertia of custom and the dead-weight of environment.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
In 1634 he also prohibited the landing of tobacco any where except at the quay near the custom house in London.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
It has long been the custom for advertisers in the continental journals to typify their wares.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various

British Dictionary definitions for custom

custom

/ (ˈkʌstəm) /

noun

a usual or habitual practice; typical mode of behaviour
the long-established habits or traditions of a society collectively; convention: custom dictates good manners

- a practice which by long-established usage has come to have the force of law
- such practices collectively (esp in the phrase custom and practice)
habitual patronage, esp of a shop or business
the customers of a shop or business collectively
(in feudal Europe) a tribute paid by a vassal to his lord

adjective

made to the specifications of an individual customer (often in the combinations custom-built, custom-made)
specializing in goods so made

Origin of custom

C12: from Old French costume, from Latin consuētūdō, from consuēscere to grow accustomed to, from suēscere to be used to

See also customs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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