What does caterer mean?
A caterer is a person or business that provides food and drink for events such as weddings, parties, conferences, and other large or formal gatherings. The role typically extends beyond cooking to menu planning, food preparation, delivery, presentation, and often service staff, making catering a comprehensive hospitality trade rather than simple food production. Some caterers operate full-service businesses with kitchens of their own, while others work from clients' facilities or event venues. The word carries a professional, service-oriented connotation and appears frequently in event-planning contexts, where phrases like "wedding caterer" and "hire a caterer" are common. It derives ultimately from an Old North French verb meaning "to buy or procure," reflecting the trade's origins in acquiring provisions. Today the term is standard throughout the English-speaking world, applying equally to small independent operators and large commercial firms.
nounA person or company that provides food and drink for social events, weddings, corporate functions, and other gatherings, either on-site or prepared elsewhere.
- A person whose profession is providing food and drink for events.
- A company or business that supplies food services for functions and gatherings.
"The couple hired a caterer to serve a three-course meal to two hundred guests at their wedding reception."
"We hired a local caterer to handle the food for the charity gala."
"As a caterer, she has planned menus for everything from boardroom lunches to thousand-guest banquets."
Standard regular plural, used both for multiple individuals and for multiple catering businesses.
"The conference organizers interviewed several caterers before choosing one."
The word "caterer" comes from an old French verb simply meaning "to buy" — because feeding a crowd once began with shopping for it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caterer
The noun "caterer" derives from the verb "cater," which entered English in the early 17th century from Anglo-Norman and Old North French forms such as "acater" and "acatour" (a buyer of provisions), ultimately tracing back through Vulgar Latin to Latin "capere," meaning "to take." Originally, a caterer was literally someone who procured or bought provisions, and the sense gradually narrowed to mean one who supplies food for occasions. The same Latin root gives English a wide family of words including "capture" and "captive."
Related word forms
How caterer is actually used
The term is neutral in register and used in both everyday speech and professional contexts. In British usage an "outside caterer" specifically means one hired independently of a venue.
Easily confused with caterer
"Cater" is the verb meaning to provide food or, figuratively, to supply what is wanted, while "caterer" is the noun naming the person or business that does so.