cater

American  

[key-ter] / ˈkeɪ tər /

verb (used without object)

1. to provide food, service, etc., as for a party or wedding.

   to cater for a banquet.

2. to provide or supply what amuses, is desired, or gives pleasure, comfort, etc. (usually followed by to orfor ).

   to cater to popular demand; to cater to an invalid.

   Synonyms:

   please, indulge, humor

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verb (used with object)

1. to provide food and service for.

   to cater a party.

cater British  

/ ˈkeɪtə /

verb

1. (intr; foll by for or to) to provide what is required or desired (for)

   to cater for a need

   cater to your tastes

2. to provide food, services, etc (for)

   we cater for parties

   to cater a banquet

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Other Word Forms

• cateringly adverb
• uncatered adjective
• uncatering adjective

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” ( cate ) + -our -or ²

Example Sentences

Most large retailers have spent the past decade building up their delivery infrastructure to cater to rising demand from consumers.

From Barron's

The new, invitation-only space will be the company’s second studio location in Los Angeles and will cater mostly to video podcasts.

From Los Angeles Times

The Murray, Utah, home-goods retailer said it will use AI tools to link commerce, services, insurance, warranties, financing, home attributes, geographic trends and customer behavior to allow it to better cater to homeowners.

From The Wall Street Journal

To cater to the ever-growing demand, South Korea's 30,000 or so beauty brands rely on a highly sophisticated industrial ecosystem.

From BBC

We could own a car, ignore senior discounts because “they’re too much trouble,” eat out frequently at overpriced restaurants catering to expats, and load up on expensive imported food and alcohol at the grocery store.

From MarketWatch