cater

verb

ca·​ter ˈkā-tər How to pronounce cater (audio)
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 noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The club also caters for amateur runners through its online platform, where members receive workout suggestions, nutrition tips and invites to group runs and races. George Ramsay, CNN Money, 23 June 2025 That said, a vendor doesn’t get to be the size of Dell Technologies by catering only to early adopters. Patrick Moorhead, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025 Zheng’s influence in the New York community — online and in-person — has led Isshiki to host or cater events for brands including Uniqlo, Mastercard, Puma and Goop. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 31 May 2025 From team employees in accounting to marketing to human resources and everything in between, Schottenheimer brought Whataburger breakfast catering into the building and passed out food for every team employee while also spending time getting to know them. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for cater

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cater was in 1580

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cater. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

cater

verb
ca·​ter ˈkāt-ər How to pronounce cater (audio)
1
: to provide a supply of food
cater for parties
2
: to supply what is wanted or needed
caterer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cater

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