1 a : a usage or practice common to many or to a particular place or class or habitual with an individual It is the custom in New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. funeral customs
b : long-established practice considered as unwritten law
c : repeated practice Custom makes all things easy.
d : the whole body of usages, practices, or conventions that regulate social life … family, kinship, and custom constituted the grounds of community. —V. B. Leitch
2 customs plural
a : duties, tolls, or imposts imposed by the sovereign law of a country on imports or exports
b usually singular in construction : the agency, establishment, or procedure for collecting such customs went through customs at the airport without any difficulty
3 a : business patronage (see patronage sense 4 )
b : usually habitual patrons : customers
Definition of custom (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : made or performed according to personal order
2 : specializing in custom work or operation a custom tailor
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habit, practice, usage, custom, wont mean a way of acting fixed through repetition. habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively. had a habit of tapping his fingers practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice. our practice is to honor all major credit cards usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm. western-style dress is now common usage in international business custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law. the custom of wearing black at funerals wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group. as was her wont, she slept until noon
It is the custom for the bride to wear a white dress on her wedding day. According to custom, the festivities begin at dusk. It's a matter of custom. We went through customs at the airport without any difficulty. It took us a long time to clear customs at the border.
The new kitchen will have custom cabinets. that business tycoon wears only custom suits
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
The wedding ceremony took place above the garden at the Rosewood resort, where the bride wore a custom lace gown by Valentino. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "Kate Upton Is Pregnant With Her First Child," 14 July 2018 The first extended public hearings were held in 1916, on the hotly contested nomination of Louis Brandeis who, following custom, refused to testify in person. — Jeffrey Rosen, WSJ, "What We Learn from Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings," 13 July 2018 The shop, Trident Defense, operated by Tyson Cobb, is currently located at 555 Plate Drive and purchases and sells firearms as well as provides custom firearm-coating services. — Erin Sauder, Elgin Courier-News, "East Dundee to get another gun range," 13 July 2018 Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk began construction of a custom kid-sized minisub. — Shibani Mahtani, Washington Post, "‘Time is running out’: Inside the treacherous rescue of boys trapped in a Thai cave," 13 July 2018 Cabin controls are neatly arranged in two tiers for audio and AC-vent-fan with an 8-inch touch screen for navigation, phone, radio, apps and a custom button to preset a special direct access for phone or Kia’s UVO subscription e-services. — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Kia Niro PHEV: The future of plug-and-play," 13 July 2018 The custom kitchen includes super-cool Wenge cabinetry, as well as stainless steel appliances. — Shannon Rooney, Philly.com, "Three Philly apartments under $2,500 a month - with coveted private laundry," 11 July 2018 Generous custom salads themed with ingredients for categories like Asian, southwest and Caesar can be adorned with protein options like chicken or shrimp. — Philip Potempa, Daily Southtown, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Tribes Alehouse in Tinley Park," 11 July 2018 The most standout feature of Meghan Markle's custom Givenchy wedding gown was its bateau neckline—a more conservative look compared to Kate Middleton's lacey, deep-V neckline. — Chrissy Rutherford, Harper's BAZAAR, "The Boatneck Neckline Is Officially Meghan Markle's Signature," 11 July 2018
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
The kitchen is equipped with a custom steel island on casters, made by Michael Daniel Metal Design, so it can be rolled out to the deck and used as a buffet for outdoor dinners. — Tim Mckeough, New York Times, "A Shipshape House in the Hamptons," 19 June 2018 For YouTube creators, catching the eyes of potential new viewers starts with a good, custom thumbnail. — Megan Farokhmanesh, The Verge, "YouTube kills some creators’ custom-made thumbnail images in latest experiment," 28 June 2018 Geff worked in the automotive business, specializing in custom auto body and repair. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Geoffrey S. Grocki," 3 June 2018 Gerde is currently working on a book about minimalist living and home-schools their son, so custom workspace and storage were built-in to tuck their school supplies away after-hours. — Rachel Raczk, chicagotribune.com, "How do couples live in tiny homes without killing each other?," 17 May 2017 The parade will include custom bike builders, stunt teams, charitable groups and HOG chapters, as well as a few surprise guests. — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "8 picks for Harley’s 115th Labor Day anniversary," 19 June 2018 The Golden Knights set team records for merchandise sales at Games 1 and 2 of the Cup Final, according to Rank + Rally, a company that creates custom merchandise and retail experiences for fans. — Helene Elliott, latimes.com, "Capitals don't offer much of an update on Evegeny Kuznetsov's status for Game 3 of Stanley Cup Final," 1 June 2018 Everything that’s in use now — custom audiences, lookalike, all the weird retargeting, the pair of shoes that follow you onto Facebook — that was all created then. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Former Facebook ad targeting boss Antonio García-Martínez on Too Embarrassed to Ask," 14 May 2018 Hannah designs custom engagement rings through her own line, J. Hannah, and many of her clients are in nontraditional relationships, or at least come to her for nontraditional rings. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Introducing Ceremony, a New Line of Diamond Rings, Signets, and Pavé Bands to Celebrate “Love of All Kinds”," 10 May 2018
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'custom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
1757, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Middle English custume, from Anglo-French, from Latin consuetudin-, consuetudo, from consuescere to accustom, from com- + suescere to accustom; akin to suus one's own — more at suicide
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