customers

"Customers" is a very common everyday word with a straightforward meaning, though it has a couple of useful shades of sense worth knowing.

1nounpeople who buy goods or services

A customer is someone who pays for something — a product or a service — from a business. Think of the people who walk into a shop, order food at a restaurant, or book a hotel room. All of them are customers. This is by far the most common meaning of the word.

everyday language, business · Modern, widely used

The café was full of customers on Saturday morning.

Our store offers a discount to customers who spend over $50.

The new website made it easier for customers to place orders online.

2nounfigurativea person of a particular type (informal characterization)

Sometimes people use 'customer' to describe a person by their personality or behavior — usually in a slightly humorous or cautious way. For example, a 'tough customer' means someone who is difficult to deal with or not easily pushed around. You will often see this in phrases rather than on its own.

everyday language · Modern, slightly informal · figurative

The new negotiator was a tough customer — he never gave anything away easily.

Watch out for him; he's an odd customer.

She's a cool customer — nothing seems to make her nervous.