1Provide food and drink, typically at social events and in a professional capacity.

他为20个人供应了午餐。

1. 1.1cater forBritish no object Provide with food and drink in a professional capacity.
   〈主英〉（尤指以专职身份为社交活动）提供饮食
   my mother helped to cater for the party

   我母亲帮忙操办聚会所需的饮食。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Links would be built between local food and tourism to maximise the use of local produce in catering and through retail outlets.
   • He hopes to run his own cafe one day or to enter employment in catering.
   • They provided catering and a television so people wouldn't miss the AFL Grand Final.
   • Obviously, you'll only be able to invite a select number of guests but at least you won't have to worry about catering.
   • It has been a lifelong ambition to work in catering, yet over the years I stayed within the care sector as it suited my lifestyle.
   • The contract for catering at the museum runs out on Monday and Swindon Services will not be renewing it.
   • The talented chef, who says the crash cost him his job and marriage, said he still had aspirations to pursue a career in catering.
   • We often cater at local events, specialising in Indian foods and make a sauce which is so popular that we have been asked time and time again about the possibility of buying it in the shops.
   • Her new career is in catering, a far cry from the committee rooms and party politicking at City Hall in Bradford.
   • I've always thought that women are better at catering and dealing with food.
   • It is not necessary to provide catering as many visitors prefer to self cater or to partake of local cuisine.
   • Cath has responsibility for eight function rooms at the Pier complex and also caters at Wigan council and Wigan Culture and Leisure Trust venues across the town.
   • Gillian first worked in hotel catering, then ran the Spotted Cow in Malton for seven years.
   • All her previous jobs have been in catering and she was once head chef at St Gemma's Hospice in Moortown, Leeds.
   • After all, her parents had been in the hotel trade and she had grown up in catering.
   • Local produce features strongly in the menu of the food hall, which caters primarily for locals although that's not to say that it doesn't attract a steady stream of visitors in the summer months.
   • Some of the people who take part will be able to earn certificates in food hygiene, catering, first aid and firefighting.
   • The Thornhill Arms was one of the first pubs in Huddersfield are to provide catering at the time.
   • Many of the people selling us food - in retail and in catering - are real enthusiasts.
   • She works hard at two jobs, one in catering, the other in a nightclub, so when she has a night off she likes to let her hair down.

   Synonyms

   provide food for, feed, serve, cook for, wine and dine, regale, provide for, provision
2. 1.2cater tono object Provide with what is needed or required.
   提供所需物（或必需物）
   the school caters to children with learning difficulties

   这所学校面向学习有困难的孩子。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It is currently the world's only online guitar shop catering exclusively for left-handed people.
   • Clause 3 requires Radio New Zealand to provide programming that caters to a full range of age groups.
   • It is absolutely vital that the development site caters properly for the parking needs of its future residents if chaos is to be avoided.
   • The business has done well but it caters mainly to the upper and middle-income bracket, which is the top 10 per cent of the population.
   • They could then make it clear that they are to cater for smokers only and make a packet by catering exclusively to that group.
   • Results The women felt unprepared for operative delivery and thought that their birth plan or antenatal classes had not catered adequately for this event.
   • The food is wonderful they cater well for vegetarians and children and the staff are really friendly and professional.
   • As the site caters almost exclusively for the indigenous population, everything is in Dutch with a bit of German thrown in for visitors from across the border, from the welcome pack to the café menu.
   • This was the scheme which came the closest to catering for everyone's wishes.
   • It has since been updated with the latest equipment and a new calving unit was provided in 2002 which caters for 48 cows at a time.
   • The city centre nightspot caters mainly for the over 25s with cabarets such as those shown at Funny Girls in Blackpool and the Birdcage in Leeds.
   • It seems to me, therefore, perfectly reasonable that a school, unless it caters specifically for pupils of only one faith, should require that religion is kept outside its doors.
   • Supplying textiles to the fashion industry, Magee Weaving caters largely to the export market.
   • The pool caters annually for more than 35,000 users who have physical disabilities, injuries or learning difficulties.
   • The shop caters specifically for larger sized customers.
   • Yet women were also commonly found in theatre audiences: matinées catered particularly to mothers and children, while evening performances at theatres attracted courting couples.
   • It caters specially for dyslexic children, children with special educational needs and children who struggle in large schools, and has an unusually high teacher-to-pupil ratio, with each tutor looking after about eight pupils.
   • It can find shoes for people up to size 18, and cater for people who require wide or narrow fittings.
   • And if it shuts, the nearest pubs will be in the town centre where the trade caters mainly for the young crowd and are too far away for older folk.
   • A wide variety of sizes and styles of housing would be provided in order to cater to a wide range of pocket books and lifestyles.

   Synonyms

   serve, provide for, oblige, meet the needs of, meet the wants of, accommodate, entertain, receive
3. 1.3cater tono object Try to satisfy (a particular need or demand)
   迎合，设法满足（需要，要求）
   he catered to her every whim

   他对她百依百顺。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • This is just a part of our varied social interests, which cater to the needs of the underprivileged sections.
   • The publication of several biographies of Shakespeare since the 1980s caters to the constant interest in Shakespeare.
   • I am aware that there are those who contend that this bill is simply catering to the demands of a small minority.
   • Numerous schools and institutes catered to this demand - whether it was for pilots, mechanics, or engineers.
   • He will want to give you a load of company guff about high-rates of customer satisfaction and a wide-ranging menu catering to differing needs.
   • Over time, Indians are becoming more market savvy and catering to the demands of the American consumer.
   • In all, a good little system that deals well with drivers' needs on the road while also catering for fleet requirements.
   • He attributes his recent hits to the fact that he has taken care to cater to both these requirements.
   • The school's rising student population means that the school needs to extend in order to cater to demand.
   • Banks have started coming up with a whole lot of new schemes to cater to the needs of a large number of people.
   • We were soon to discover that this ‘world’ included pampering and catering to our every need and whim.
   • The number of wells in the region is not enough to cater to the demands of the residents.
   • Company cars account for 40 per cent of new car sales in Ireland, and catering to the demands of the corporate fleet is a growing business.
   • The canine resorts are ready to cater to the whims of the most attentive owners at a cost of up to £60 a day.
   • We need modern temples to cater to the requirements of modern times.
   • A number of shops have sprung up in the city to cater to the demand for traditional ornamental furniture.
   • Originally designed by Avtovaz but modified and improved by GM, the Niva caters to Russia's demand for rugged off-road vehicles.
   • There's nothing at all wrong with catering to a partner's whims - provided the partner caters to your needs and wishes, too.
   • But as Imogen's obsession intensifies, it gets harder and harder not to grow tired of the way everyone caters to her with indulgent credulity.
   • Housing to cater to the needs of those working here will find a demand in the region.

   Synonyms

   satisfy, indulge, pander to, gratify, please, accommodate, pacify, appease, minister to, give in to, fulfil, satiate, pamper, mollycoddle, feather-bed, spoil