Showing results for "customs"

• plural of custom.

customs

British  

/ ˈkʌstəmz /

noun

1. duty on imports or exports

2. the government department responsible for the collection of these duties

3. the part of a port, airport, frontier station, etc, where baggage and freight are examined for dutiable goods and contraband

4. the procedure for examining baggage and freight, paying duty, etc

5. ( as modifier )

   customs officer

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Explanation

Customs are taxes, or duties, that you sometimes have to pay when you import goods from another country. When you return home from a trip to another country, you have to clear customs by talking to a customs officer and declaring everything you bought or got as a gift while you were traveling. If you're bringing in a lot of stuff, you may have to pay customs — the duty on imports. Customs are a source of income for a country, and they also provide control over what’s coming in.

Example Sentences

This is the year-over-year surge in China’s air conditioning machine exports to France in May, Chinese customs data showed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

But Sabucha said several of these customs were never genuinely even part of Vlkolinec's past and others were no longer practiced.

From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026

Challenges like adjusting to a new language or learning unfamiliar customs and eating different foods can prove exhausting and demoralizing.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

McNamara said they try to "abide by the customs" as visitors, but tipping has been a culture shock.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

We drove the few miles across the international bridge with the windows down, the wind whipping our hair around our faces, until we slowed down and drove into the aduana, the Mexican customs station.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall