customer
Americannoun
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a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron.
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Informal. a person one has to deal with.
a tough customer; a cool customer.
noun
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a person who buys
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informal a person with whom one has dealings
a cool customer
Etymology
Origin of customer
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; see customary
Explanation
A customer is anyone paying for a good or service. Without customers, businesses would go out of business. When you're paying for just about anything, you're a customer. People shopping at the grocery store, sitting in coffee shops, going to movies, and buying DVDs online are all customers. The point of advertising is to drum up new customers for a business. There's a cliché that "The customer is always right," which is obviously not true, but shows how businesses try to make customers happy. They'd better. Without customers, any business is in deep trouble.
Vocabulary lists containing customer
Business, List 1
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The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
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Unit 17, Lesson 2
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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.
"Meter costs are already accounted for in customer bills because of this, this is just the upgrading of the types of meters," she said.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
It usually takes a while for customer behavior to meaningfully shift, according to experts.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
The images can then be compared with pictures taken when a customer first used the ticket or annual pass.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026
Analysts have said recently that they are optimistic about Dynatrace’s growth prospects in the coming years because of new product rollouts and some big customer contracts coming up for renewal.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
And, of course, the most painless customer to invite was one whose business was so trivial that his opinion of the festivities didn’t actually matter.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions 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.
