caterer

American  

[key-ter-er] / ˈkeɪ tər ər /

noun

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

2. one who caters.

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caterer British  

/ ˈkeɪtərə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of caterer

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

Example Sentences

The Charlotte Russe is a specialty of my mother, a former caterer who helped run New York’s Hard Rock Café in the ’70s.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

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

Michael recalls one caterer telling him it would cost £25,000 to provide food and drink to all their guests at the wedding he and Sinead had originally envisaged.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2025

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

You want to be an engineer, a computer programmer, a secretary, a doctor, a lawyer, a caterer, a gardener, a construction worker, or whatever.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall