customer

[kuhs-tuh-mer]

noun

1. a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.

2. Informal.,  a person one has to deal with.

   a tough customer; a cool customer.

customer

/ ˈkʌstəmə /

noun

1. a person who buys

2. informal,  a person with whom one has dealings

   a cool customer

Word History and Origins

Origin of customer¹

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; customary

Idioms and Phrases

see ugly customer.

Example Sentences

Chau, whose toy manufacturing company is called GSNMC, said his customers were shocked by the latest turn and monitoring developments to see if production will need to be paused.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Australian airline Qantas said Sunday that data from 5.7 million customers stolen in a major cyberattack this year had been shared online, part of a leak reportedly involving dozens of firms.

Read more on Barron's

The Palestinian, French and Israeli flags fly from the ceiling of "Sababa, the Taste of Peace", where the first customers packed in to eat hummus, falafel or Gazan salad.

Read more on Barron's

Nae Campbell, a longtime customer, recalled how this "good woman" could be found vending year-round, whether in searing heat or Chicago's famously bitter cold.

Read more on Barron's

One customer at the Charing Cross Pub, which sits at one end of the street, said the colour and shape of the design "reminds me of giant Wotsits".

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• client 
• consumer 
• patron 
• purchaser www.thesaurus.com