cater

1 of 2

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

caterer

2 of 2

noun

ca·​ter·​er ˈkā-tər-ər 

plural -s

: one that caters: such as

a

: one whose business is to arrange for and supervise all the details as to food and service for any social affair (as at a club or private house)

b

: a worker in a hotel or restaurant who solicits, promotes, and arranges for social functions to be held there

Synonyms of cater

Verb

• feed
• board
• sustain
• serve

Examples of cater in a Sentence

Verb

The restaurant caters for parties.

A local restaurant catered the banquet.

The awards ceremony will be a catered event.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The generously-sized home is located in Cannaregio, the northernmost of Venice’s historic districts, and the immediate neighborhood is a quiet, residential stretch that caters more to Venetians than tourists. — Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026

Guisanderas were freelance cooks who prepared meals for people in their homes and catered for big events like baptisms and weddings. — Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 4 Aug. 2026

Aer Lingus caters primarily to leisure travelers, while the London carrier would be mostly business travelers. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026

However, there were still developments highlighted at Kingpins that catered specifically to colder months. — Sarah Jones, Footwear News, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Noun

probably from cater entry 2 + -er

First Known Use

Verb

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