4 VERB To cushion the effect of something unpleasant means to reduce it. □ [V n] He was trying to cushion the blow of this terrible news. □ [V n + against ] The subsidies are designed to cushion farmers against unpredictable weather.
5 N‑COUNT [usu sing] Something that is a cushion against something unpleasant reduces its effect. □ [+ against ] Housing benefit provides a cushion against hardship.
cush|ion|ing /kʊ ʃən I ŋ/ N‑UNCOUNT Cushioning is something soft that protects an object when it hits something. □ Running shoes have extra cushioning.
cushy /kʊ ʃi/ (cushier , cushiest ) ADJ [usu ADJ n] A cushy job or situation is pleasant because it does not involve much work or effort. [INFORMAL ] □ …a cushy job in the civil service.
cusp /kʌ sp/ PHRASE If you say that someone or something is on the cusp , you mean they are between two states, or are about to be in a particular state. □ [+ of ] I am sitting on the cusp of middle age.
cuss /kʌ s/ (cusses , cussing , cussed ) VERB If someone cusses , they swear at someone or use bad language. [INFORMAL , OLD-FASHIONED ] □ [V ] Tosh was known to be a man who would cuss and shout. □ [V + at ] He rails and cusses at those pop stars. [Also V n]
cus|tard /kʌ stə r d/ (custards ) N‑VAR Custard is a sweet yellow sauce made from milk and eggs or from milk and a powder. It is eaten with fruit and puddings. □ …bananas and custard.
cu s|tard pie (custard pies ) N‑COUNT Custard pies are artificial pies which people sometimes throw at each other as a joke. □ …a custard pie fight.
cus|to|dial /kʌstoʊ diəl/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Custodial means relating to keeping people in prison. [mainly BRIT , FORMAL ] □ If he is caught again he will be given a custodial sentence.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] If a child's parents are divorced or separated, the custodial parent is the parent who has custody of the child. [LEGAL ]
cus|to|dian /kʌstoʊ diən/ (custodians ) N‑COUNT The custodian of an official building, a companies' assets, or something else valuable is the person who is officially in charge of it. □ [+ of ] …the custodian of the holy shrines in Mecca and Medina.
cus|to|dy /kʌ stədi/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Custody is the legal right to keep and look after a child, especially the right given to a child's mother or father when they get divorced. □ [+ of ] I'm going to go to court to get custody of the children. □ Child custody is normally granted to the mother.
2 PHRASE Someone who is in custody or has been taken into custody has been arrested and is being kept in prison until they can be tried in a court. □ Three people appeared in court and two of them were remanded in custody. □ She was taken into custody later that day.
3 N‑UNCOUNT If someone is being held in a particular type of custody , they are being kept in a place that is similar to a prison. □ Barrett was taken into protective custody.
cus|tom /kʌ stəm/ (customs )
1 N‑VAR A custom is an activity, a way of behaving, or an event which is usual or traditional in a particular society or in particular circumstances. □ [+ of ] The custom of lighting the famous flame goes back centuries. □ Chung has tried to adapt to local customs.
2 N‑SING [oft with poss] If it is your custom to do something, you usually do it in particular circumstances. □ It was his custom to approach every problem cautiously.
3 N‑UNCOUNT [usu with poss] If a shop has your custom , you regularly buy things there. [BRIT , FORMAL ] □ You have the right to withhold your custom if you so wish.
4 → see also customs
cus|tom|ary /kʌ stəmri, [AM ] -meri/
1 ADJ Customary is used to describe things that people usually do in a particular society or in particular circumstances. [FORMAL ] □ It is customary to offer a drink or a snack to guests.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Customary is used to describe something that a particular person usually does or has. □ Yvonne took her customary seat behind her desk.
cu stom-bui lt V-PASSIVE If something is custom-built , it is built according to someone's special requirements. □ [be V -ed] The machine was custom-built by Steve Roberts. □ [V -ed] …a custom-built kitchen.
cus|tom|er ◆◆◇ /kʌ stəmə r / (customers )
1 N‑COUNT A customer is someone who buys goods or services, especially from a shop. □ Our customers have very tight budgets. □ …the quality of customer service.
2 N‑COUNT [adj N ] You can use customer in expressions such as a cool customer or a tough customer to indicate what someone's behaviour or character is like. [INFORMAL ] □ …two pretty awkward customers. COLLOCATIONS customer NOUN
1
adjective + customer : happy, loyal, regular, satisfied; potential, valued
verb + customer : attract, help, offer, serve; charge; lose
2
adjective + customer : cool, slippery, tough
cu s|tom|er base (customer bases ) N‑COUNT A business's customer base is all its regular customers, considered as a group. [BUSINESS ] □ [+ of ] …Halifax's customer base of 21 million people.
cu s|tom|er re|la |tions
1 N‑PLURAL Customer relations are the relationships that a business has with its customers and the way in which it treats them. [BUSINESS ] □ Good customer relations require courtesy, professionalism and effective response.