customs

B1 Topic:Places & Geography

US /ˈkʌs.təmz/ See IPA manual

Freq #5628

Meanings

1

noun
The government office at a border or airport that checks goods coming into a country.

We had to wait in line at customs after our flight landed.
2

noun
The taxes you pay on goods brought into a country.

He had to pay customs on the watches he bought abroad.
3

noun
The check you go through at a border before entering a country.

After we cleared customs, our friends met us outside.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · the taxes you pay on goods... custom

Word family

Derived forms customhousecustomshousenoncustoms

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

customs union
a group of countries that allow free trade among themselves and share tariffs on outside goods

Noun + noun

Proverbs (1)

See all

Different countries, different customs

Etymology

Plural of custom. Perhaps influenced by or taken as a corruption of customhouse, from Middle English custome hous.

custome hous Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Places & Geography

External links

# customs

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkʌs.təmz/
**Frequency rank:** 5628

## Meanings
1. The government office at a border or airport that checks goods coming into a country.
2. The taxes you pay on goods brought into a country.
3. The check you go through at a border before entering a country.

## Examples
- We had to wait in line at customs after our flight landed.
- He had to pay customs on the watches he bought abroad.
- After we cleared customs, our friends met us outside.

## Derived Forms
- customhouse
- customshouse
- noncustoms

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: custome hous

## Etymology
Plural of custom. Perhaps influenced by or taken as a corruption of customhouse, from Middle English custome hous.

## AI Etymology
customs plural of custom. Perhaps influenced by or taken as a corruption of customhouse, from Middle English custome hous. Current senses include The government office at a border or airport that checks goods coming into a country and The taxes you pay on goods brought into a country. English relatives and later formations include customhouse, customshouse, noncustoms.

## Topics
- Places & Geography

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