What does "cater" mean?
Synonym of acater: an officer who purchased cates (food supplies) for the steward of a large household or estate.
Cater
/ˈkeɪtə/ adv, name, noun, verb
adv, name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Synonym of acater: an officer who purchased cates (food supplies) for the steward of a large household or estate.
- Grammar: cater is listed as adv, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accommodate needs, arrange catering, baby, bunker.
- Useful contrasts: ignore needs, overlook requirements, refuse to feed.
- Usage evidence: The net-cafes here cater to students; fees start at around a pound an hour.
How to use "cater"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cater" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cater" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cater" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cater" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cater" is acting as adv, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accommodate needs" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cater", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Synonym of acater: an officer who purchased cates (food supplies) for the steward of a large household or estate. obsolete
"I am oure Catour and bere oure Alther purse."
- 2 Four. obsolete, rare
"The auditour... cometh in with sise sould, and cater denere, for vi.s. and iiii.d."
- 3 Synonym of caterer: any provider of food. obsolete
"Of his diete catour was scarsite..."
- 4 The four of cards or dice. obsolete
"Cater is a very good caste."
- 5 Synonym of purveyor: any provider of anything. figuratively, obsolete
"The eye is loues Cator."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A method of ringing nine bells in four pairs with a ninth tenor bell.
"The very terms of the art are enough to frighten an amateur. Hunting, dodging... caters, cinques, etc."
Verb
- 1 To provide, particularly
"Noe widdowes curse caters a dish of mine."
- 2 To place, set, move, or cut diagonally or rhomboidally. UK, dialectal
"The trees are set checkerwise, and so catred [Latin: partim in quincuncem directis], as looke which way ye wyl, they lye leuel."
- 3 supply food ready to eat; for parties and banquets wordnet
- 4 To provide; To provide with food, especially for a special occasion as a professional service. ambitransitive
"I catered for her bat mitzvah."
- 5 give what is desired or needed, especially support, food or sustenance wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To provide; To provide anything required or desired, often (derogatory) to pander. figuratively, intransitive
"I always wanted someone to cater to my every whim."
- 7 To provide; To tailor something to an intended audience. figuratively, intransitive
"The business caters for young professionals."
Adverb
- 1 Diagonally. UK, US, dialectal, not-comparable
"Cater and Cater-cornered, diagonal; diagonally. To ‘cut cater’ in the case of velvet, cloth, etc., is... ‘cut on the cross’. Cater-snozzle, to make an angle; to ‘mitre’."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname originating as an occupation.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
ignore needsoverlook requirementsrefuse to feedwithhold service
Example
"The net-cafes here cater to students; fees start at around a pound an hour."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cater"?
Common synonyms include: accommodate needs, arrange catering, baby, bunker, coal, coddle.
How do you use "cater" in a sentence?
The net-cafes here cater to students; fees start at around a pound an hour.
How do you pronounce "cater"?
Pronounced /ˈkeɪtə/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English catour (“acater, provisioner”), aphetic form of acatour (“acater”), from Old French acater (“to buy, to purchase”). Equivalent to cate + -er.
Etymology 2
Probably ultimately from French quatre (“four”), possibly via cater (“change-ringing”), although Liberman argues for a derivation from a North Germanic prefix meaning "crooked, angled, clumsy" from which he also derives cater-cousin and, via Norse, Old Irish cittach (“left-handed, awkward”). He finds this more likely than extension of the dice and change-ringing term cater as an adverb, given the likely cognates in other Germanic languages. Caterpillar and caterwaul are unrelated, being derived from cognates to cat, but may have influenced the pronunciation of Liberman's proposed earlier *cate- or undergone similar sound changes.
Etymology 3
From French quatre (“four”). Doublet of cuatro.
Etymology 4
Occupational surname, from cater, obsolete form of caterer.