2 N‑UNCOUNT Customer relations is the department within a company that deals with complaints from customers. [BUSINESS ] □ …Tucson Electric's customer-relations department.
cu s|tom|er sa t|is|fa c|tion N‑UNCOUNT When customers are pleased with the goods or services they have bought, you can refer to customer satisfaction . □ I really believe that it is possible to both improve customer satisfaction and reduce costs. □ [+ with ] Customer satisfaction with their mobile service runs at more than 90 per cent.
cu s|tom|er se r|vice N‑UNCOUNT Customer service refers to the way that companies behave towards their customers, for example how well they treat them. [BUSINESS ] □ …a mail-order business with a strong reputation for customer service. □ The firm has an excellent customer service department.
cus|tom|ize /kʌ stəma I z/ (customizes , customizing , customized ) in BRIT, also use customise VERB If you customize something, you change its appearance or features to suit your tastes or needs. □ [V n] …a control that allows photographers to customise the camera's basic settings. □ [V -ed] …customized software.
cu stom-ma de V-PASSIVE If something is custom-made , it is made according to someone's special requirements. □ [be V -ed] Furniture can also be custom-made to suit your own requirements. □ [V -ed] …a custom-made suit.
cus|toms /kʌ stəmz/
1 N‑PROPER [oft N n] Customs is the official organization responsible for collecting taxes on goods coming into a country and preventing illegal goods from being brought in. □ …components similar to those seized by British customs. □ …customs officers.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Customs is the place where people arriving from a foreign country have to declare goods that they bring with them. □ He walked through customs.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Customs duties are taxes that people pay for importing and exporting goods.
4 → see also custom
Cu s|toms and E x|cise N‑PROPER Customs and Excise is a British government department which is responsible for collecting taxes on imported and exported goods. Compare Customs Service .
Cu s|toms Ser|vice N‑PROPER The Customs Service is a United States federal organization which is responsible for collecting taxes on imported and exported goods. Compare Customs and Excise .
cut ◆◆◆ /kʌ t/ (cuts , cutting ) The form cut is used in the present tense and is the past tense and past participle. 1 VERB If you cut something, you use a knife or a similar tool to divide it into pieces, or to mark it or damage it. If you cut a shape or a hole in something, you make the shape or hole by using a knife or similar tool. □ [V n] Mrs. Haines stood nearby, holding scissors to cut a ribbon. □ [V n prep/adv] The thieves cut a hole in the fence. □ [V n n] Mr. Long was now cutting himself a piece of the pink cake. □ [V + through ] You can hear the saw as it cuts through the bones. □ [V -ed] …thinly-cut cucumber sandwiches. ● N‑COUNT Cut is also a noun. □ [+ in ] The operation involves making several cuts in the cornea.
2 VERB If you cut yourself or cut a part of your body, you accidentally injure yourself on a sharp object so that you bleed. □ [V pron-refl] Johnson cut himself shaving. □ [V n] I started to cry because I cut my finger. □ [V -ed] Blood from his cut lip trickled over his chin. ● N‑COUNT Cut is also a noun. □ [+ on ] He had sustained a cut on his left eyebrow. □ …cuts and bruises.
3 VERB If you cut something such as grass, your hair, or your fingernails, you shorten them using scissors or another tool. □ [V n] The most recent tenants hadn't even cut the grass. □ [have n V -ed] You've had your hair cut, it looks great. □ [V -ed] She had dark red hair, cut short. ● N‑SING Cut is also a noun. □ Prices vary from salon to salon, starting at £17 for a cut and blow-dry.
4 VERB [usu passive] The way that clothes are cut is the way they are designed and made. □ [V -ed] …badly-cut blue suits.
5 VERB If you cut across or through a place, you go through it because it is the shortest route to another place. □ [V + across/through ] He decided to cut across the Heath, through Greenwich Park.
6 → see also short cut
7 VERB If you cut something, you reduce it. □ [V n] The first priority is to cut costs. □ [be V -ed + by ] The U.N. force is to be cut by 90%. □ [V amount + from/off ] …a deal to cut 50 billion dollars from the federal deficit. ● N‑COUNT Cut is also a noun. □ [+ in ] The economy needs an immediate 2 per cent cut in interest rates. □ …the government's plans for tax cuts.
8 VERB If you cut a text, broadcast, or performance, you shorten it. If you cut a part of a text, broadcast, or performance, you do not publish, broadcast, or perform that part. □ [V n] The audience wants more music and less drama, so we've cut some scenes. ● N‑COUNT Cut is also a noun. □ [+ in ] It has been found necessary to make some cuts in the text.
9 VERB To cut a supply of something means to stop providing it or stop it being provided. □ [V n] They used pressure tactics to force them to return, including cutting food and water supplies. ● N‑COUNT Cut is also a noun. □ [+ in ] The strike had already led to cuts in electricity and water supplies in many areas.