cater

verb

ca·​ter ˈkā-tər 

catered; catering; caters

intransitive verb

1

: to provide a supply of food

cater for a large party

2

: to supply what is required or desired

catering to middle-class tastes

transitive verb

: to provide food and service for

catered the banquet

caterer

ˈkā-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms of cater

• feed
• board
• sustain
• serve

Examples of cater in a Sentence

The restaurant caters for parties.

A local restaurant catered the banquet.

The awards ceremony will be a catered event.

Recent Examples on the Web

Hector Boiardi catered a welcome-home reception at the White House for 2,000 World War I soldiers. — Michele Metych Britannica Editors Sep. 4, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

The bot comes from Citibot, a company that caters its technology to government agencies. — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

While the property is self-catered and Penrith's grocery shops are a 10-minute drive away, the estate's private chef, Elliot, became our fairy godfather for the weekend. — Tamara Southward, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Aug. 2026

We got married in Mérida, Mexico, in 2022 and had the honor of having our wedding weekend catered by an incredible Oaxacan chef. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

obsolete cater buyer of provisions, from Middle English catour, short for acatour, from Anglo-French, from acater to buy — more at cate

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing cater

• cater-cousin
• cater for
• cater to

Rhymes for cater

• crater
• frater
• freighter
• gator
• grater
• greater
• hater
• krater
• later
• plater
• prater
• rater

Kids Definition

cater

verb

ca·​ter ˈkāt-ər 

1

: to provide a supply of food

cater for parties

2

: to supply what is wanted or needed

caterer

-ər-ər 

noun