cater

verb

ca·​ter ˈkā-tər How to pronounce cater (audio)
catered; catering; caters

intransitive verb

1
: to provide a supply of food
cater for a large party
2
: to supply what is required or desired
catering to middle-class tastes

transitive verb

: to provide food and service for
catered the banquet
caterer noun

Examples of cater in a Sentence

The restaurant caters for parties. A local restaurant catered the banquet. The awards ceremony will be a catered event.
Recent Examples on the Web In Heathrow’s case, this includes retail concessions, catering, ‘other retail’, car parking, and ‘other services’. Kevin Rozario, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 And in case anyone was still hungry, the wedding afterparty was catered by Chick-fil-A. Dessert included slices of the couple's chocolate and vanilla wedding cake filled with cannoli cream, along with cheesecake, lobster tail pastries and chocolate cannoli bombs. Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 18 Feb. 2024 Located on 3909 Chenoweth Square, The Cheddar Box was known for offering take-out lunches, catering for business events and cooking holiday meals. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 29 Jan. 2024 On the first day of 2024, David Beckham posted a carousel of photos from his family’s New Year’s Eve celebration, which appeared to be catered by a team of private chefs. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 Jan. 2024 This shift is driven by the increasing desire of users to engage with platforms that cater specifically to their unique interests, hobbies and passions. Kj Dhaliwal, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The pandemic was responsible for some cutbacks, such as changes to catering, a pause on free massages, and fitness-center closures. Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 Much of his business is dedicated to catering work. Peter S. Goodman Bridget Bennett, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2024 At the unveiling for the trophy, King Taco, a partner for the NASCAR Mexico Series race, was catering. Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cater.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

obsolete cater buyer of provisions, from Middle English catour, short for acatour, from Anglo-French, from acater to buy — more at cate

First Known Use

1580, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cater was in 1580

Dictionary Entries Near cater

Cite this Entry

“Cater.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cater. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cater

verb
ca·​ter ˈkāt-ər How to pronounce cater (audio)
1
: to provide a supply of food
cater for parties
2
: to supply what is wanted or needed
caterer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on cater

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