cater
Americanverb (used without object)
-
caters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
catered,
past participle, past
-
catering
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
caters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
catered,
past participle, past
-
catering
present participle
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
catersimple
-
caterssimple
-
have cateredperfect
-
has cateredperfect
-
am cateringprogressive
-
are cateringprogressive
-
is cateringprogressive
-
have been cateringperfect progressive
-
has been cateringperfect progressive
Past
-
cateredsimple
-
had cateredperfect
-
was cateringprogressive
-
were cateringprogressive
-
had been cateringperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
Although the group doesn’t perform in Korean — unless it’s for fun — they cater to K-pop fans, which is easy to do since they too are K-pop fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
For decades, food companies have relied on a proven playbook: cater to consumers’ taste buds with sugar, salt and a steadily expanding galaxy of flavors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Neos and Innovator Capital — another ETF firm purchased by Goldman in a deal that was finalized earlier this year — both cater to this rapidly growing niche.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Translink has organised hundreds of additional bus services as well as extra late night train services in to cater for people travelling to and from the fleadh.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
Some find the salaries and perks compensating; the developments that cater to them come with big houses, schools with top SAT scores, parks for youth sports, and upscale shopping strips.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
It’s a niche manufacturing business that caters to enterprising chefs and restaurateurs who are testing a concept or hitting the road for music festivals, farmers markets or a meal break at offices.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
French luxury giant Chanel announced Thursday that it had acquired historic Parisian shirtmaker Charvet, having previously collaborated with the brand which caters mostly to men.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
DUP MP Jim Shannon highlighted this lack of oversight a sector that predominantly caters for "sleep-deprived and vulnerable parents".
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Moscow’s Vnukovo airport is home to a sleek white Bombardier Global 7500—a $75 million Western-built jet that caters to the world’s wealthy and business elites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
My mother's parents were part of the small merchant class that caters to officials, Peacekeepers, and the occasional Seam customer.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
Since then, the country club has catered to the blue-blood families who spend time in South Florida and famous residents, such as Julio Iglesias.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
UFO is just one of several ETFs catered to the business of space.
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
It was as if the trailer catered to the fans who loved “The Devil Wears Prada” as an idea, rather than as a movie.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
Although he catered to rich people and hung out in posh nightclubs on the Westside, Louis said he made only about $50,000 a year and lived in an apartment in Burbank.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Cheap Charlie’s was the penny candy store next to Carney’s which catered to the junk trade.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Ullom doesn’t have to worry about catering to existing fans of his work.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Food Standards Agency, external has recently issued guidance to catering businesses on the storage and handling of eggs.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Andrea, a 32-year-old mother who declined to give her surname because she felt ashamed of her predicament, tried to reinvent herself by starting a catering business after the stationary shop where she worked shut down.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Delta Airlines opened a new luxury lounge at Los Angeles International Airport in October, catering to high-end customers who want an elevated travel experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Don’t you get it? This would be perfect for my mama. If we win, we could get aprons like Stephanie’s and advertise Mama’s catering business to the entire city.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
