caterer

American

[key-ter-er] / ˈkeɪ tər ər /

noun

one whose business is to provide food, supplies, and sometimes service at social gatherings.
one who caters.

caterer British

/ ˈkeɪtərə /

noun

a person who caters, esp one who as a profession provides food for large social events, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of caterer

First recorded in 1585–95; cater + -er ¹

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.

Marler said he obtained invoices from a St. Louis caterer listing Taylor Farms as its seller.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2025

Normally what they do is they'll hire a caterer and hire a party planner, they'll come in and they'll fluff and puff your house and cook all the food, and I would just disappear.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2025

"Every caterer has had to take some money off the meal plate," he said.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2024

A caterer in Lagos, Abosede Ibikunle, says her regular customers are now opting to cook their own food for events.

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2024

Maybe he was a caterer as well as a janitor.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023