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official duties and taxes imposed on goods when entering or leaving a country
The company paid high customs fees for the imported machinery.
The business incurred significant import taxes for the equipment.
Also refers to the government agency responsible for collecting these duties.
traditional practices or habits of a particular group or society
In some cultures, it's customary to remove shoes before entering a home.
Many societies have the tradition of taking off footwear indoors.
Often used in the plural form to describe cultural norms.
Determine whether 'customs' refers to taxes or traditions based on the surrounding words.
When referring to cultural practices, 'customs' is almost always plural.
From Middle English 'custume,' from Old French 'coustume,' from Latin 'consuetudo' (custom, habit).
The word can refer to both government-imposed taxes and cultural traditions, depending on context.