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# custom

«custom» in Mova's school dictionary: **a way of doing something that people in a place or group…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (custom, customs; customs — at a border); adjective (custom — made specially, especially in the USA: custom-made)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A custom is a way of doing something that people in a place or group have done for a long time: it is a custom to give presents at Christmas. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#m1)

2) A custom is a habit of a person: it was his custom to walk after dinner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#m2)

3) Customs is the place at an airport or border where officers check what people bring into the country. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#m3)

4) Custom-made means made specially for one person. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In social studies and religious education, pupils compare customs of different countries and cultures: greetings, food, festivals, table manners — understanding that customs differ is good manners when abroad. In travel: going through customs after a flight. Phrases: local custom, an old custom, it's the custom to, go through customs, customs officer, custom-made.

### examples

- It's a custom in Japan to bow when you greet someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x1)
- In our family, it's a custom to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x2)
- We went through customs at the airport. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x3)
- The customs officer checked our bags. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x4)
- Learn the local customs before you travel. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x5)
- His bike was custom-made for him. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x6)
- Thank him according to our customs, Mowgli.” [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/#x7)

### note

Countable: customs. «Customs» (at a border) is always plural in form. Related words: customary (usual), customer (a person who buys). Do not confuse «custom» with «costume» (special clothes).

### In the corpora

- [Having many wives was a custom of some old kings; today in most countries a person may be married to only one person.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/96-justso-butterfly-1-the-boast/21/)
- [Customs differ between countries, and learning them before you visit avoids upsetting people.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/124-handshakes-waves-and-local-customs/20/)
- [A child new to the country is still learning the customs, so explain kindly how things work.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/226-compliments-and-respecting-differences/21/)
- [Showing respect means asking polite questions, using kind greetings and never mocking someone's food, clothes or customs.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/309-respecting-festivals-of-classmates/15/)
- [Never stand chopsticks upright in rice; in some Asian cultures it looks like a funeral custom.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/323-greetings-handshakes-goodbyes-please-and-table-manners/19/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «custom» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/custom/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.