customs

/ˈkʌstəmz/ (bre, ipa) · [kˈʌstəmz] /ˈkʌstəmz/ (ame, ipa) · [kˈʌstəmz] /ˈkə-stəm/ (ame, mw)

customs — noun

1. the official body within a country that charges duty on items arriving from abro

1.名詞B1
釋義

the official body within a country that charges duty on items arriving from abroad and inspects cargo at entry points.

例句

The customs department at the port inspected every shipping container that arrived from overseas.

collocation: customs department

Salma works for the customs agency, checking documents of imported electronics and machinery.

同義詞
  • border control

    focuses on the people-checking function rather than the tax-collection function

  • revenue service

    broader term; may also refer to domestic tax collection

文法句型

customs + noun (customs officer, customs department)

用法筆記

Always used in plural form, even when referring to a single agency. Frequently functions as a modifier before nouns: customs officer, customs union, customs declaration.

常見錯誤

❌I need to go to the custom office.
✅I need to go to the customs office.
💡'customs' is always plural in this sense.
❌The custom cleared my package.
✅Customs cleared my package.
💡Use the plural form 'customs' for the government agency.

2. the area at a port, airport, or border crossing where officials check travellers

2.名詞B1
釋義

the area at a port, airport, or border crossing where officials check travellers' luggage and goods to prevent illegal items from entering the country.

例句

When Jason landed in Singapore, he waited forty minutes to pass through customs.

phrase: pass through customs

The customs officer asked Camille to open her suitcase for a random check.

同義詞

文法句型

go through customs

pass through customs

at customs

用法筆記

Almost always used with 'go through', 'pass through', or 'clear': these fixed phrases signal the checkpoint sense rather than the government department sense.

常見錯誤

❌I passed the custom at the airport.
✅I passed through customs at the airport.
💡Use the plural form and include 'through'.
❌The customs are very strict at this border.' (treating 'customs' as a plural countable noun)
✅Customs is very strict at this border.
💡Treat the agency as a singular entity.

3. a tax charged by the government on goods brought into a country from another cou

3.名詞B2
釋義

a tax charged by the government on goods brought into a country from another country, often based on the type or value of the goods.

例句

Constanza had to pay customs on the antique vase she brought back from Italy.

pattern: pay customs on [item]

The company paid high customs to import steel from other countries last year.

同義詞
  • import duty

    the formal legal term; interchangeable with 'customs' in this sense

  • tariff

    broader term; often refers to a scheduled rate rather than the actual payment

文法句型

pay customs on [something]

customs charges

customs duties

用法筆記

Common in the fixed expression 'pay customs on something'. 'Duty' or 'duties' is often used in formal legal contexts as a synonym for this sense.

常見錯誤

❌I paid custom on the watch I bought abroad.
✅I paid customs on the watch I bought abroad.
💡Always use the plural 'customs'.
❌Customs on this item is too high.' (treating it as a singular tax)
✅The customs charges on this item are too high.
💡Use 'charges/duties' with a plural verb, or treat 'customs' as singular for the agency.