What does customise mean?
Customise is a verb meaning to alter or create something so that it fits the specific needs, tastes, or requirements of a particular person or purpose. It is used across an enormous range of contexts: consumers customise cars, clothing, and furniture; software users customise settings, layouts, and notifications; businesses offer customised services to stand out from standardised competitors. The word carries connotations of individuality, craftsmanship, and choice — a customised item is by definition unlike everyone else's. It derives from "custom," ultimately from Latin roots relating to habit and usage, and it shares that ancestry with words like "customer" and "accustom." The British spelling "customise" coexists with the American "customize," which has become dominant in global tech language. As mass production gave way to mass personalisation in the late twentieth century, customise moved from specialist trade vocabulary into everyday speech, making it one of the defining verbs of modern consumer culture.
verbTo modify or build something to suit a particular person, purpose, or preference; to make or alter something according to individual specifications.
- To modify or adapt a product, system, or service to meet a particular individual's requirements or preferences.
- (of a manufacturer or maker) To build or produce something to an individual customer's specifications.
"She had the kitchen customised with deeper drawers and a built-in wine rack."
"The app lets you customise the dashboard so your most-used tools appear first."
"He paid extra to have his bicycle customised with a hand-painted frame."
Every time you drag a widget on your phone's home screen, you're speaking fluent Latin — "customise" traces back to the medieval Latin "consuetudinarius," the root of "custom."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of customise
Customise derives from "custom," which came into Middle English from Old French "coustume," itself from Latin "consuetudinem" (habit, usage), from "consuescere" (to accustom). The verb emerged as "customize" in American English in the twentieth century, reflecting the rise of made-to-order manufacturing and consumer choice, with the British spelling "customise" following the standard -ise/-ize split. Its cognates include "custom," "customer," "accustom," "costume," and "usual," all tracing back through Latin to the idea of habitual use.
Related word forms
How customise is actually used
In American English the standard spelling is "customize" (with a -z-), and this form is increasingly common in international contexts, especially in technology. "Personalise" is a close cousin but emphasises identity and ownership rather than modification for function.
Easily confused with customise
"Customize" is simply the American spelling of the same word, while "customise" is the British spelling; they are not different words.
"Accustom" means to make someone familiar with something through habit, whereas "customise" means to modify an object or product to fit personal needs.