- customer
- cus|tom|erW1S1 [ˈkʌstəmə US -ər] n[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: custom; from the custom of doing business in a particular place]1.) someone who buys goods or services from a shop, company etc▪ We aim to offer good value and service to all our customers.▪ We've had several letters from satisfied customers.customer service/care▪ Many of the banks offer a poor level of customer service.▪ He's one of our regular customers .best/biggest/largest customer(=the person or company who uses a shop or company the most)2.) awkward/tricky/tough etc customersomeone who is difficult to deal with because they behave in a deliberately unhelpful way▬▬▬▬▬▬▬WORD CHOICE: customer, client, patron, shopper, consumerCustomer is the most general word. A customer is someone who buys something from a particular shop. People who pay to use something such as a transport service can also be called customers : A customer came in and bought several jackets. |Customers are advised that the next train is delayed.A client is someone who pays for a service : a hairdresser and her clientsA patron of a particular restaurant, bar etc is someone who eats or drinks there. This is a fairly formal word and it is more usual to use customer : Patrons are asked to refrain from smoking.A shopper is someone who is involved in the activity of buying things from shops : The street was crowded with shoppers.A consumer is anyone who pays for goods and services. This word is used especially when you are talking about people's rights : Consumers have a right to know what they are buying.▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.