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 The butler can coordinate reservations across the city, host a lavish dinner party catered by any MGM Resort restaurant, and even summon a catador (cigar sommelier) to deliver a cult cheroot. David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024 The company provides comprehensive assistance for various types of tax debt relief, catering not only to individuals facing IRS tax debt but also offering support for corporate taxes and help in delaying or preventing bank levies. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Through the partnership with the Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona Department of Education, counselors and other staff will be able to cater their efforts to students who need it. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 In the meantime, Alejandro has a job at a cryogenics firm that caters specifically to artists. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024 Enjoy brunch buffet catered by Taste of Belgium, beer, wine, bloody Marys and bottomless mimosas. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 4 Feb. 2024 Its bread-and-butter, however, is sports and entertainment hospitality, which launched as a side gig in 1982 when the White Sox recruited Levy to cater the skyboxes at Comiskey Park. Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2024 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

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 29 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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