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

Governors Ball Ray Dolby Ballroom The night’s official afterparty, held just steps from the Dolby immediately following the show and catered by Wolfgang Puck for the 32nd year. —Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026

The writers on Hoppers started catering the character directly to Law. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026

While Silversea and Seabourn straddle the line between luxury and expedition, a pair of high‑end specialists cater directly to travelers seeking adventure wrapped in indulgence. —David Dickstein, Oc Register, 4 Mar. 2026

Upon arrival at the Shrine Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles, what was once a straight walk inside to everyone’s seats was cut short by a new pre-reception room catered by Chef Evan Funke of LA hotspots Mother Wolf and Funke. —Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 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