What does "client" mean?
A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.
Client
/ˈklaɪ.ənt/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.
- Grammar: client is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: customer, charge, commissioner, commissioners.
- Useful contrasts: atty, barber, caseworker.
- Usage evidence: The client talked with the lawyer.
How to use "client"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "client" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "client" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "client" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "client" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "client" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "customer" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "client", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services.
- 2 (computer science) any computer that is hooked up to a computer network wordnet
- 3 The role of a computer application or system that requests and/or consumes the services provided by another having the role of server.
- 4 someone who pays for goods or services wordnet
- 5 A person who receives help or services from a professional such as a lawyer or accountant.
"I corralled the judge, and we started off across the fields[…]. And thus we came by a circuitous route to Mohair,[…]. My client welcomed the judge […] and they disappeared together into the Ethiopian card-room, which was filled with the assegais and exclamation point shields Mr. Cooke had had made at the sawmill at Beaverton."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer wordnet
- 7 A person who employs or retains an attorney to represent him or her in any legal matter, or one who merely divulges confidential matters to an attorney while pursuing professional assistance without subsequently retaining the attorney.
- 8 In ancient Rome, retainers and followers associated with a gens. historical
"The nomen belonged to all members of a gens and to all those attached to it (women, clients, and freedmen included)."
- 9 Ellipsis of client state. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"A third preliminary comment deals explicitly with the relations between clients and superpowers."
Antonyms
Example
"The client talked with the lawyer."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "client"?
Common synonyms include: customer, charge, commissioner, commissioners, consumers, costumer.
How do you use "client" in a sentence?
The client talked with the lawyer.
How do you pronounce "client"?
Pronounced /ˈklaɪ.ənt/.
Etymology
From Middle English client, from Anglo-Norman clyent, Old French client, from Latin cliēns, akin to clinare (“to lean”).