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

• board
• feed
• provision
• victual

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

Book via a travel agent Many hotels and travel agencies cater specifically to honeymoon stays. —Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2024

While there's no food for sale, there's catering available from nearby restaurants like Blackfinn Ameripub, and there's a small selection of alcoholic drinks available onsite. —Mckenzie Rankin, Axios, 29 Oct. 2024

The venue exclusively caters with Serendipity Catering, which according to Wedding Wire, has a rate of about $50 per person. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 24 Oct. 2024

Personalized health and wellness is catered specifically for each individual. —John Graham Harper, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

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

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