customs union

American

noun

an association of independent nations or tariff areas created to remove customs barriers between them and to adopt a uniform tariff policy toward nonmember nations.

customs union British

noun

an association of nations which promotes free trade within the union and establishes common tariffs on trade with nonmember nations

"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

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.

Exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy rose 13.4% from a year earlier to $69.58 billion in December, preliminary data from the customs office showed Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026

No-one has suggested that Abdel Nasser or the customs office were the target of the operation.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2024

“Arnold didn’t do this,” said Thomas Meister, a spokesman for the Munich airport customs office.

From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2024

“Contrary to the contractual regulations and hours recorded - many more hours were worked than agreed, leading to the valid minimum wage not being paid and social security regulations being disregarded,” the customs office said.

From Washington Times • Jun. 15, 2023

We picked up our belongings and headed to the immigration and customs office, where we reported in.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023