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

To cater to this rising demographic, legacy brands need to up their game, as fashion and beauty players capitalize on the marathon opportunity. —Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2026

Bader felt confident in creating a collection that would cater to Show Me Your Mumu's shoppers as well as her followers. —Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 30 Apr. 2026

What’s more, the LA jazz scene, at least as Bellerose understood it, felt like a relic, with old clubs like The Baked Potato catering more to tourists than adventurous musicians. —Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2026

Stepping onto the properties, you’ll be greeted by your own team of concierges and private butlers that can cater to all your needs. —Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 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