English Dictionary
Definition of “customs”
customs (ˈkʌstəmz
)
Definitions
noun (functioning as singular or plural)
- duty on imports or exports
- the government department responsible for the collection of these duties
- the part of a port, airport, frontier station, etc, where baggage and freight are examined for dutiable goods and contraband
- the procedure for examining baggage and freight, paying duty, etc
- ((as modifier) ⇒
customs officer
custom (ˈkʌstəm)
Definitions
noun
- a usual or habitual practice; typical mode of behaviour
- the long-established habits or traditions of a society collectively; convention ⇒
custom dictates good manners
- a practice which by long-established usage has come to have the force of law
- such practices collectively (esp in the phrase custom and practice)
- habitual patronage, esp of a shop or business
- the customers of a shop or business collectively
- (in feudal Europe) a tribute paid by a vassal to his lord
adjective
- made to the specifications of an individual customer (often in the combinations custom-built, custom-made)
- specializing in goods so made
Word Origin
C12: from Old French costume, from Latin consuētūdō, from consuēscere to grow accustomed to, from suēscere to be used to
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
tradition,
practice,
convention,
ritual,
form,
policy,
rule,
style,
fashion,
usage,
formality,
etiquette,
observance,
praxis,
unwritten law,
kaupapa,
Quotations
"Custom reconciles us to everything"
Edmund Burke"a customMore honoured in the breach than the observance"
William Shakespeare
Translations
- British English:
customs
Customs is the official organization responsible for collecting taxes on goods coming into a country and preventing illegal goods from being brought in.Customs discovered the goods in his suitcase.ˈkʌstəmz NOUN Customs discovered the goods in his suitcase.
- Spanish:
aduana
nf
- French:
douane
nf
- German:
Zollabfertigung
nf
- Chinese: 海关 n
- Arabic: رُسُوم جُمْرُكِيَّة npl
- Portuguese: alfândega nf
- Russian: таможня nf
- Croatian: carina nf
- Czech: clo nnt
- Danish: skikke nutr
- Dutch: douane n
- Finnish: tulli n
- Greek: τελωνείο nnt
- Italian: dogana nf
- Japanese: 関税 n
- Korean: 관세 npl
- Norwegian: toll nm
- Polish: cło nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: alfândega nf
- European Spanish:
aduana
nf
- Swedish: tull nutr
- Thai: ภาษีนำสินค้าเข้าหรือส่งออก npl
- Turkish: gümrük npl
- Vietnamese: hải quan n
Usage examples
Their bags arrived with surprising speed, and they had no trouble with immigration or customs.
Harcourt, Palma, Double Deceit (1990)It was on display at Auckland airport as an example of the sorts of souvenirs intercepted by the agriculture branch of customs.
New Scientist (1998)Wall pleaded guilty to attempting to evade customs duties due on the cigarettes.
Irish Times (2002)Defence and customs officials will be given powers to intercept those suspected of being a threat.
Belfast Telegraph (2004)For about sixty years all these folk customs were repressed, just long enough for many of them to be forgotten or not revived.
Marian Green, A WITCH ALONE (2002)
