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

The police suspect that the other unaccounted for 643,000 bitcoins, were removed from customer accounts via an unknown party.

From The Daily Beast

For instance, Best Buy has over 40 million members in its customer loyalty program, Reward Zone.

From The Daily Beast

One customer retooled a Nintendo Wii with its innards switched out for glued pennies.

From The Daily Beast

The customer-service representative said they had notified the billing service used by my doctors that I was not “in network.”

From The Daily Beast

Synchronoss only got paid when a customer activated on AT&T, so each of those jailbreakers was costing Synchronoss money.

From The Daily Beast

I am afraid your father wouldnt welcome me as a customer, said Jess, gravely.

From Project Gutenberg

The name was quite familiar to her, though the lady in question was not a customer of Madame Malmaison's.

From Project Gutenberg

One of the shopmen stood at the door looking after his elegant customer's carriage.

From Project Gutenberg

Rashid retired to wrap up the purchase, and with it a second and smaller package was slipped into the customer's hand.

From Project Gutenberg

On the advice of his customer, the poet Parny, he had taken the name of Marius, a sobriquet which stuck to the establishment.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• client
• consumer
• patron
• purchaser