cater

verb

ca·​ter ˈkā-tər How to pronounce cater (audio)
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 noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earlier this summer, the $1 billion live-action Lilo & Stitch became a breakout hit thanks to catering early aughts IP to Zoomers. Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 17 July 2025 Like the series, Mask of the Phantasm does a nice job of catering both to kids and adults — this isn’t as intense as the Christopher Nolan films or as kinky as the Tim Burton movies, but it’s smartly written and respectful about what makes the Dark Knight such an evergreen character. Tim Grierson, Vulture, 11 July 2025 And now one of the world’s most whimsical travel destinations is introducing a program catered exclusively to them. Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025 Although cooking started as just a hobby, Ward's dishes quickly gained the attention of his fellow firefighters and their families, who often asked him to cater events on the side. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for cater

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cater was in 1580

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cater. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

cater

verb
ca·​ter ˈkāt-ər How to pronounce cater (audio)
1
: to provide a supply of food
cater for parties
2
: to supply what is wanted or needed
caterer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cater

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