customer

Word family

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Trade

cus·tom·er /ˈkʌstəmə $ -ər/ S1 W1 noun [countable] 1 BBTBUYsomeone who buys goods or services from a shop, company etc 顾客，客户 We aim to offer good value and service to all our customers. 我们力求为所有的客户提供物有所值的商品和服务。 We’ve had several letters from satisfied customers. 我们收到了几封顾客表示满意的来信。customer service/care Many of the banks offer a poor level of customer service. 这些银行中有许多家服务质量很差。 He’s one of our regular customers. 他是我们的一个老主顾。best/biggest/largest customer (=the person or company who uses a shop or company the most) 最好/最大的客户2. awkward/tricky/tough etc customer HELPsomeone who is difficult to deal with because they behave in a deliberately unhelpful way 难对付的家伙 → cool customer at cool1(3)n COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + customer a regular customerMy business quickly built up a base of regular customers.a good customer (=who buys a lot from you, or uses your service a lot)Good products attract good customers.a major/big/large customer (=who is important and buys a lot)America is a big customer for Japanese goods.a loyal customer (=who has been a customer for a long time)Some of our loyal customers have been coming here since the store opened.a satisfied customer (=who is pleased with your goods or service)Satisfied customers will return again and again.a potential/prospective customer (=who might become a customer in the future)It’s very important to establish contact with potential customers.a business customer (=customers that are businesses)the bank’s major business customersexisting customers (=that you already have)We want to improve our service for both new and existing customers.verbsdeal with a customer (=do business with or talk to a customer)He has a lot of experience in dealing with customers.serve a customerEvery day the shop serves around 800 customers.attract customers (=get more customers)The Internet is a great way to attract new customers.keep/retain customersKeeping prices low helps to retain customers.lose a customerThe company has lost some big customers in the last two years.customer + NOUNcustomer service/care (=serving and looking after customers)Our aim is always to raise the level of customer service.customer relationsStaff are given training in customer relations.customer satisfaction (=how pleased customers are)The firm carried out a survey of customer satisfaction.customer demand (=the amount of something customers want to buy or use)It’s important to respond quickly to changing customer demand.customer complaintsMy job is to handle customer complaints and enquiries. THESAURUScustomer someone who buys goods or services from a shop or company 顾客，客户Customers were waiting for the shop to open. 顾客在等待商店开门。The bank is one of our biggest customers. 这家银行是我们的最大客户之一。client someone who pays for a service from a professional person or company 〔专业人士或公司的〕客户He has a meeting with one of his clients. 他要会见一位客户。The company buys and sells shares on behalf of their clients 这家公司代理客户买卖股票。shopper someone who goes to the shops looking for things to buy 购物者The streets were full of Christmas shoppers. 街上全是为圣诞节购物的人。guest someone who pays to stay in a hotel 〔酒店的〕宾客,旅客Guests must leave their rooms by 10 am. 客人必须在上午10点之前离房。patron /ˈpeɪtrən/ formal a customer of a particular shop, restaurant, or hotel – usually written on signs 〔某个商店、餐馆或宾馆的〕顾客〔通常写在标志牌上〕The notice said ‘Parking for Patrons Only’. 告示上写着“顾客专用车位”。patient someone who is getting medical treatment from a doctor, or in a hospital 病人He is a patient of Dr Williams. 他是威廉斯医生的病人。consumer anyone who buys goods or uses services – used when considering these people as a group who have particular rights, needs, or behaviour 消费者Consumers are demanding more environmentally-friendly products. 消费者需要更多环保的产品。the rights of the consumer 消费者权利nThe law is designed to protect consumers who buy goods on the Internet.market the number of people who want to buy a product, or the type of people who want to buy it 市场〔指想要购买某一产品的人数或人群类型〕The market for organic food is growing all the time. 有机食品的市场越来越大。a magazine aimed at the youth market 针对年轻人市场的杂志clientele /ˌkliːənˈtel $ ˌklaɪənˈtel, ˌkliː-/ formal the type of customers that a particular shop, restaurant etc gets 〔某种类型的〕顾客The hotel has a very upmarket clientele. 这家酒店拥有非常高端的客户。They have a wealthy international clientele. 他们拥有一批来自世界各地的有钱客户。

Examples from the Corpus

customer• But in the long run, observers see the potential for new products and concerns about customer service.• All are given clear-cut linkage to their internal customer.• British Airways was Boeing's largest customer for jet airplanes.• The barman was serving the last customer of the evening.• We don't get many customers on Mondays - Saturday is our busiest day.• Ford has launched a big sales campaign in an effort to bring in new customers.• The Defense Department is one of Lockheed's biggest regular customers.• It was a well-kept secret that the old system was biased in favor of residential customers.• Just when she had been on the brink of despair, one of her rich customers had given her a handsome order.• Second, customers decide their preferences with a large pinch of subjectivity.• After monitoring the performance of the engine on the rig, it is prepared for despatch to the customer.• Their typical customer earns more than $70,000.• But don't starve your customers in the process - there's no profit in that either.customer service/care• His inclination is to shy away from grandiose strategies and concentrate on return on capital and customer service.• Issues such as product knowledge, lead generation and customer service are tackled.• The effort put into marketing and customer service far exceeds the effort in production and in research.• In many parts of the world, we have developed innovative policies on quality and customer service.• But there is wide variation among Internet providers in cost, features, software, reliability and customer service.• They understood statistical process control, total quality customer service, reengineering, and the economics and finance of film manufacturing.• On top of that, cable companies have developed a reputation over the years for less-than-stellar customer service.• Hall has said Kmart will focus on improving the look of its stores, customer service and the efficiency of its operations.From Longman Business Dictionarycustomercus‧tom‧er /ˈkʌstəmə-ər/ noun [countable] a person or organization that buys goods or services from a shop or companyWe try to keep regular customers happy.the customer complaints department → target customer → ultimate customerOrigin customer (1400-1500) custom; from the custom of doing business in a particular place

cus·tom·er noun →n COLLOCATIONS1 →THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChineseSyllable

buys or Corpus Business someone who services a from goods

customer
cus‧tom‧er S1 W1 /ˈkʌstəmə $ -ər/

noun [countable]

Word Family: adjective: customary, custom, customizable, accustomed; noun: custom, customer, customs; verb: accustom, customize; adverb: customarily

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 customer someone who is difficult to deal with because they behave in a deliberately unhelpful way ⇨ cool customer at cool¹(3)

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + customer
   ▪ a regular customer My business quickly built up a base of regular customers.
   ▪ a good customer (=who buys a lot from you, or uses your service a lot) Good products attract good customers.
   ▪ a major/big/large customer (=who is important and buys a lot) America is a big customer for Japanese goods.
   ▪ a loyal customer (=who has been a customer for a long time) Some of our loyal customers have been coming here since the store opened.
   ▪ a satisfied customer (=who is pleased with your goods or service) Satisfied customers will retun again and again.
   ▪ a potential/prospective customer (=who might become a customer in the future) It’s very important to establish contact with potential customers.
   ▪ a business customer (=customers that are businesses) the bank’s major business customers
   ▪ existing customers (=that you already have) We want to improve our service for both new and existing customers.
■ verbs
   ▪ deal with a customer (=do business with or talk to a customer) He has a lot of experience in dealing with customers.
   ▪ serve a customer Every day the shop serves around 800 customers.
   ▪ attract customers (=get more customers) The Internet is a great way to attract new customers.
   ▪ keep/retain customers Keeping prices low helps to retain customers.
   ▪ lose a customer The company has lost some big customers in the last two years.
■ customer + NOUN
   ▪ customer service/care (=serving and looking after customers) Our aim is always to raise the level of customer service.
   ▪ customer relations Staff are given training in customer relations.
   ▪ customer satisfaction (=how pleased customers are) The firm carried out a survey of customer satisfaction.
   ▪ customer demand (=the amount of something customers want to buy or use) It’s important to respond quickly to changing customer demand.
   ▪ customer complaints My job is to handle customer complaints and enquiries.

THESAURUS

   ▪ customer someone who buys goods or services from a shop or company: Customers were waiting for the shop to open. | The bank is one of our biggest customers.
   ▪ client someone who pays for a service from a professional person or company: He has a meeting with one of his clients. | The company buys and sells shares on behalf of their clients
   ▪ shopper someone who goes to the shops looking for things to buy: The streets were full of Christmas shoppers.
   ▪ guest someone who pays to stay in a hotel: Guests must leave their rooms by 10 am.
   ▪ patron /ˈpeɪtrən/ formal a customer of a particular shop, restaurant or hotel – usually written on signs: The notice said ‘Parking for Patrons Only’.
   ▪ patient someone who is getting medical treatment from a doctor, or in a hospital: He is a patient of Dr Williams.
   ▪ consumer anyone who buys goods or uses services – used when considering these people as a group who have particular rights, needs, or behaviour: Consumers are demanding more environmentally-friendly products. | the rights of the consumer | The law is designed to protect consumers who buy goods on the Internet.
   ▪ market the number of people who want to buy a product, or the type of people who want to buy it: The market for organic food is growing all the time. | a magazine aimed at the youth market
   ▪ clientele /ˌkliːənˈtel $ ˌklaɪənˈtel, ˌkliː-/ formal the type of customers that a particular shop, restaurant etc gets: The hotel has a very upmarket clientele. | They have a wealthy international clientele.

🔑 cus·tom·er

BrE

/ˈkʌstəmə(r)/

🔊

NAmE

/ˈkʌstəmər/

🔊

noun

🔑

a person or an organization that buys sth from a shop/store or business 顾客；主顾；客户

◆one of the shop's

best/biggest customers

此商店最佳／最大的客户之一

◆They know me—I'm a regular customer. 我是老主顾，他们都认识我。

🔊

◆the

customer service

department客户服务部

◆The firm has excellent customer relations. 此公司与客户关系极好。

🔊

agent, business, company, competitor, customer, director, employ, franchise, manager, shareholder

<titled tranID="1" status="6">Shopping<chnsep> </chnsep><chn>购物</chn></titled>

Shopping 购物

go/go out/be out shopping 去／外出／在外购物
go to (especially BrE) the shops/(especially NAmE) a store/(especially NAmE) the mall 去商店／商场
do (BrE) the shopping/(especially NAmE) the grocery shopping/a bit of window-shopping 购物；购买食品杂货；逛街浏览一下商店橱窗
(NAmE, informal) hit/hang out at the mall 去逛商场；在商场闲逛
try on clothes/shoes 试穿衣服／鞋
indulge in some retail therapy 沉迷于购物疗法（疯狂购物以抚慰心灵）
go on a spending spree 痛痛快快地花一通钱
cut/cut back on/reduce your spending 减少花销
be/get caught shoplifting 在商店行窃被当场逮住
donate sth to/take sth to/find sth in (BrE) a charity shop/(NAmE) a thrift store 把某物捐赠给／拿到慈善商店；在慈善商店发现某物
buy/sell/find sth at (BrE) a car boot sale/(BrE) a jumble sale/a garage sale/(NAmE) a yard sale 在后备箱旧货市场／旧杂物义卖／车库里进行的旧物销售／庭院拍卖会购买／出售／找到某物
find/get/pick up a bargain 找到／买到便宜货

At the shop/store 在商店

load/push/wheel (BrE) a trolley/(NAmE) a cart 往手推车里装东西；推手推车
stand in/wait in (BrE) the checkout queue/(NAmE) the checkout line 排队付款
(NAmE) stand in line/ (BrE) queue at the checkout 在付款处排队
bag (especially NAmE) (your) groceries 把食品杂货装进袋子
pack (away) (especially BrE) your shopping 将所购之物打包
stack/stock/restock the shelves at a store (with sth) （把某物）放上／补齐放上商店的货架
be (found) on/appear on supermarket/shop/store shelves 在超市／商店有售
be in/have in/be out of/run out of stock 有货；脱销
deal with/help/serve customers 应付／帮助／服务顾客
run a special promotion 搞特别促销活动
be on special offer 正在搞特价优惠

Buying goods 买商品

make/complete a purchase 采购
buy/purchase sth online/by mail order 网购；邮购
make/place/take an order for sth 订购某物
buy/order sth in bulk/in advance 大批／提前购买／订购某物
accept/take credit cards 接受信用卡
pay (in) cash/by (credit/debit) card/(BrE) with a gift voucher/(NAmE) with a gift certificate 用现金／（信用／借记）卡／礼券支付
enter your PIN number 输入你的个人识别密码
ask for/get/obtain a receipt 索要／拿到收据
return/exchange an item/a product 退还／更换商品／产品
be entitled to/ask for/demand a refund 有资格要求／要求退款
compare prices 对比价格
offer (sb)/give (sb)/get/receive a 30% discount 给（某人）／得到 30% 的折扣

(

old-fashioned,

informal

)

used after an adjective to describe a particular type of person （用于形容词之后描述某类型的人）家伙

◆an awkward customer难对付的家伙