cater
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr; foll by for or to) to provide what is required or desired (for)
to cater for a need
cater to your tastes
-
to provide food, services, etc (for)
we cater for parties
to cater a banquet
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cater
First recorded in 1350–1400; verb use of obsolete cater, Middle English catour, variant of acatour “buyer,” from Anglo-French, from acat(er) “to buy” ( see cate) + -our -or 2
Explanation
To cater means to supply food for meetings or celebrations. If you're having a big barbecue party but would rather hang out with your friends than grill, you could pay someone to cater it. In Middle English, the food supply in a big household was known as the cates, and so to cater meant keeping the pantry full. These days, caterers don't do pantries. They cook food for many different households or offices. Cater has also come to mean "giving what is desired or needed." You might cater to your grandfather by bringing him tea, reading to him, and laughing at his bad jokes.
Vocabulary lists containing cater
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
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"Curtis Aikens and the American Dream" and "Go For It!"
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Mardi Gras: Food
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"The use of highly effective age assurance to protect children from harmful pornographic content is non-negotiable and we will accept no excuses for failure," said Suzanne Cater, director of enforcement at Ofcom.
From BBC • Nov. 20, 2025
"Choline is a vitamin-like nutrient that is essential for many important functions in the body, particularly for brain development," Dr Cater said.
From Science Daily • May 1, 2024
"Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Cater" will debut over two days on May 27 and 28 at 9 p.m.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2024
“Print newspapers were flourishing, The Times still came out in the afternoon and we were expanding our suburban editions,” remembers Karen Cater, copy editor and former copy desk chief.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 28, 2023
Grandpa was real proud of the store having a milliner trained at the Armstrong and Cater Company in Baltimore.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
