# customs

Pronunciation: say "KUS-tuhmz" /ˈkʌs.təmz/

## Noun

1. The government department or agency authorized to collect the taxes charged on imported goods.
   - Simple: The part of a government that collects taxes on things brought into a country.
   - _Customs held the container for inspection after the declared value looked suspicious._
   - _Importers must register with customs before any shipment can clear the port._
2. The process of passing through customs inspection at a border checkpoint.
   - Simple: The set of checks travelers go through at a border when entering a country.
   - _After a long flight, they still had to clear customs before meeting their family._
   - _He breezed through customs with nothing to declare._
3. Plural of custom. — plural of custom
   - Simple: Plural of custom. Use this form when you mean more than one habit or tradition.
   - _Wedding customs in the region blend influences from several neighboring cultures._
   - _Travelers should respect the customs of the communities they visit._
4. The duties or taxes a government imposes on goods being imported or exported.
   - Simple: Money a government charges on goods brought into or sent out of a country.
   - _The merchant grumbled about the customs levied on every crate of imported wine._
   - _Lowering customs on raw materials encouraged domestic manufacturers to expand._
5. The spot at a border checkpoint where customs inspections of arriving goods take place.
   - Simple: The place at a border where officers check the things people are bringing in.
   - _A sniffer dog worked the bags as passengers filed past customs._
   - _The officer waved her toward customs for a closer look at her purchases._

## Verb

6. Third-person singular simple present indicative of custom, an obsolete verb. *(obsolete)* — third-person singular simple present indicative of custom
   - Simple: Third-person singular present of custom, an old verb no longer used. It goes with he, she, it, or a singular noun.

## Origin

"Customs" is the plural of "custom," perhaps influenced by or taken as a corruption of "customhouse," from Middle English "custome hous."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/customs (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).