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

While the majority of guests were adults, children are well catered for at the hotel's restaurants, and the central location of the property makes getting home early easy. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Poland also has over 86,000 places of refuge offering a lower level of protection such as basements, underground garages or subway stations, and catering for around 23 million people. — Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026

Slowik, who was part of Miami’s offensive staff last season while working for McDaniel, is aware of what Wright and Gordon bring to the team, their strengths and weaknesses, and intends to cater the offense to those. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026

The playground already features some inclusive play equipment catered towards children with extra physical or sensory needs, including ramps and a wheelchair-accessible sandbox. — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 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