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client
/ˈklaɪ.ənt/
customer receiving services
The lawyer met with her client to discuss the case.
The professional met with the person paying for their services to talk about work.
formal
A person or organization using the services of a professional person or company.
The architect showed the client the building plans.
The designer presented the blueprints to the person paying for the design work.
She has been a loyal client of the hair salon for ten years.
She has regularly used the same hair salon for a decade.
Often used in business, law, finance, and service industries. Can imply a long-term relationship.
Technology
technical
A computer or program that requests data or services from a server.
The web browser acts as a client when fetching data from a website.
The internet application requests information from a remote computer system.
In computing, a client is the requesting system or software, while a server provides the service.
literary
An old term for a person under someone's protection or patronage.
In medieval times, a knight might have a client who relied on his aid.
Historically, a powerful person could have a dependent who sought their support.
Rarely used in modern English except in historical or specialized contexts.
Collocations
client baseall the clients a business servesclient satisfactionhow happy clients are with servicesclient meetingappointment with a clientclient feedbackopinions from clients about services
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Avoid confusion with 'customer'
Use 'client' for professional services (law, consulting, therapy) and 'customer' for retail or product sales. 'Client' implies a longer-term relationship.
Gold Rule
Formal tone with clients
When referring to people paying for professional services, 'client' is more formal than 'customer'. Use it in business, law, and healthcare contexts.
Word Origin
From Old French 'client' (14th century), from Latin 'cliens' (plural 'clientes'), meaning 'follower, retainer' or 'dependent'. Originally referred to a person under the protection of a patron in ancient Rome. The sense of 'customer' emerged in the 16th century.
Usage Notes
In professional contexts, 'client' implies a formal relationship, often with ongoing services. Avoid using it for casual or one-time transactions where 'customer' or 'consumer' would be more appropriate. In computing, 'client' specifically refers to the requesting end of a network service.
Word Breakdown
client
from Latin 'cliens'
rootEnglish Dictionary