customer

[kuhs-tuh-mer] /ˈkʌs tə mər/
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.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English; see custom, -er1; compare Middle English customer collector of customs < Anglo-French; Old French costumier, cognate with Medieval Latin custumārius; see customary
Examples from the web for customer
  • For example, a company may simply decide to move its local customer services operation to one of its own subsidiaries abroad.
  • If you still have a problem, please contact customer services.
  • Ultimately, the customer pays for all the fixes through rate increases.
  • It all depends on what the customer wants from a fairly extensive list.
  • Our version of a perfect customer experience is one in which our customer doesn't want to talk to us.
  • She was having trouble converting customer interest into actual appointments.
  • Experience with and skill in delivering exceptional customer service.
  • If you are still experiencing problems, please contact customer service.
  • The customer left and she went back under the work bench.
  • Usually when a company raises prices they do so apologetically, anticipating customer anger.
British Dictionary definitions for customer

customer

/ˈkʌstəmə/
noun
1.
a person who buys
2.
(informal) a person with whom one has dealings: a cool customer
Word Origin and History for customer
n.

late 14c., "customs official;" later "buyer" (early 15c.), from Anglo-French custumer, from Medieval Latin custumarius, from Latin consuetudinarius (see custom (n.)). More generalized meaning "a person with whom one has dealings" emerged 1540s; that of "a person to deal with" (usually wth an adjective, tough, etc.) is by 1580s. In Shakespeare, the word also can mean "prostitute."

Slang definitions & phrases for customer

customer

noun

A person; cookie •The word has a tinge of disapproval: a tough customer/ She's a shrewd customer

[1580s+; perhaps an expansion of cuss]


Idioms and Phrases with customer

customer

see: ugly customer