customs

C3U1S1T1O1M3S1
/ˈkʌs.təmz/

noun

The duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods.

“Customs stopped us in the airport for an inspection.”

Similar
customs dutycustomimpost
OriginMiddle English custome hous →
CommonScrabble 11
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Meanings

customs1

nouncustoms (countable and uncountable, plural customs)
  1. countablein pluraluncountableThe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods.

    Customs of £200 were due on all the wine we took back from France.

  2. singularuncountableThe government department or agency that is authorised to collect the taxes imposed on imported goods.

    Customs stopped us in the airport for an inspection.

  3. countableuncountableThe process of going through customs checks at a border checkpoint.

    They usually don't care about customs, but she was clearly planning on selling most of it.

  4. countableuncountableThe location at a border checkpoint where customs checks are carried out.

    "You said someone from Cubetown was gonna meet us here at the airport?" "Yeah. We go through customs, then they'll meet us outside baggage claim."

    2022, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content (webcomic), 4922: Welcome To Canada

customs2

noun
  1. pluralplural of custom
verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of custom

Synonyms & antonyms

nounmoney collected under a tariff

Similar
customs dutycustomimpost
Broader
dutytariff
Also see
customcustom housecustoms dutyimpost

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

customs · noun

  1. Middle Englishcustome hous
  2. Englishcustoms

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

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

customs · noun, verb

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic رُسُوم, جُمْرُك
  • رُسُوم (rusūm)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • جُمْرُك (jumruk)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • رُسُوم جُمْرُكِيَّة (rusūm jumrukiyya)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Bulgarian мито́
  • мито́ (mitó)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Catalan duana
  • duanathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Chinese Mandarin 關稅 /关税
  • 關稅 /关税 (guānshuì)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Czech clo
  • clothe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Danish told
  • toldthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Dutch douanerechten, douane
  • douanerechtenthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • douanecustoms checks at a border checkpoint
Esperanto dogano, dogano
  • doganothe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • doganocustoms checks at a border checkpoint
Estonian toll
  • tollthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Finnish tulli, tullimaksu
  • tullithe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • tullimaksuthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • tullitarkastuscustoms checks at a border checkpoint
French douane, douanes
  • douanethe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • douanesthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
German Zoll, Zollgebühr
  • Zollthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • Zollgebührthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Greek δασμός
  • δασμός (dasmós)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Hindi सीमा शुल्क, प्रशुल्क
  • सीमा शुल्क (sīmā śulk)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • प्रशुल्क (praśulk)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Hungarian vám
  • vámthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Indonesian bea
  • beathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Irish custam
  • custamthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Italian dazio, gabella
  • daziothe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • gabellathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • impostethe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • accisethe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • doganathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Japanese 関税, カスタム
  • 関税 (kanzei)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • カスタム (kasutamu)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • カスタムス (kasutamusu)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • カスタムズ (kasutamuzu)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Korean 관세
  • 관세 (gwanse)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Latvian muita
  • muitathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Lithuanian muitas
  • muitasthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Malay kastam, kastam
  • kastamthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • kastamcustoms checks at a border checkpoint
Māori katimauhe
  • katimauhethe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Norwegian Bokmål toll
  • tollthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Polish cło, opłata celna
  • cłothe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • opłata celnathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • odprawa celnacustoms checks at a border checkpoint
Portuguese alfândega, aduana
  • alfândegathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • aduanathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Romanian vamă
  • vamăthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Russian тамо́женный сбор, тамо́женная по́шлина
  • тамо́женный сбор (tamóžennyj sbor)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • тамо́женная по́шлина (tamóžennaja póšlina)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Slovak clo
  • clothe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Spanish aduana, arancel
  • aduanathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • arancelthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • derechos de aduanathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • arancelesthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Swahili ushuru wa forodha
  • ushuru wa forodhathe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Swedish tull
  • tullthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Thai ศุลกากร, ภาษีศุลกากร
  • ศุลกากร (sǔn-lá-gaa-gɔɔn)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • ภาษีศุลกากร (paa-sǐi-sǔn-lá-gaa-gɔɔn)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Turkish gümrük
  • gümrükthe duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Ukrainian ми́то, ми́тний збір
  • ми́то (mýto)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
  • ми́тний збір (mýtnyj zbir)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Urdu سَرْحَد حاصِل
  • سَرْحَد حاصِل (sarhad hāsil)the duties or taxes imposed on imported or exported goods
Cite this entry
APA

customs. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/customs

MLA

“customs.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/customs. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “customs,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/customs.

Source: customs on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.