customs
- Top 5000
Sense 1
- noun
- B1
The government office at an airport, port or border that checks what people and goods are bringing into a country.
We had nothing to declare and walked straight through customs.
An officer at customs asked me to open my rucksack.
Customs found two boxes of goods hidden under the seats.
The parcel is being held at customs until the duty is paid.
Common collocations: go through customs · at customs · customs officer · customs duty · clear customs · customs declaration
Part of: Airports and stations, Public offices, Holidays
Sense 2 · less common
- noun
- B2
The usual ways of doing things that a group of people have followed for a long time.
Local customs differ a lot from one valley to another.
Visitors are expected to respect local customs inside the temple.
Wedding customs in her family go back several generations.
Common collocations: local customs · traditional customs · customs and traditions · respect local customs · ancient customs
Part of: Countries and nationalities, Talking to people, Holidays