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Prepositions after verbs

Cater to or cater for?

Both expressions are standard, but they have different meanings. Cater to usually means satisfy or target a group. Cater for usually means provide what is needed.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct after cater?

Use cater to for serving, pleasing, or targeting people and tastes. Use cater for for providing what someone needs or planning for a situation.

The hotel caters to business travellers.
We need to cater for extra guests tonight.
The menu caters to vegetarian customers.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
cater to + person/group

Serving or targeting people

Use cater to when a service, product, or event is designed for a particular audience.

The app caters to young professionals.
2
cater to + taste/need

Satisfying preferences

Cater to can mean satisfy a desire, demand, or preference.

The playlist caters to different tastes.
3
cater for + need/situation

Providing what is necessary

Use cater for when arranging resources or making provision for something.

The budget caters for unexpected costs.
4
cater for + people

Providing for people

Cater for can also mean provide food, space, or support for people.

The venue caters for 300 guests.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
cater to
The course caters to beginners.
targets or satisfies a particular group
cater for
The school caters for children with allergies.
provides what is needed
cater by
The event was catered by a local company.
Here by belongs to the passive phrase catered by, not to the verb cater itself.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using cater to for basic provision

Use cater for when the meaning is provide what is needed.

✕ The hall caters to 500 people. ✓ The hall caters for 500 people.

Using cater for for preferences

Use cater to for tastes, interests, or audiences.

✕ The channel caters for sports fans. ✓ The channel caters to sports fans.

Confusing cater with catered by

In passive sentences, by introduces the agent.

✕ The company caters by tourists. ✓ The company caters to tourists.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. This restaurant mainly ___ families with children.
2. The plan must ___ possible delays.
3. The menu ___ different dietary needs.

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Frequently asked questions

Is cater to more common than cater for?

Cater to is especially common for audiences, tastes, and markets. Cater for is common when talking about provision or capacity.

Can cater for people be correct?

Yes. It can mean provide what people need, especially space, food, or support.

What does catered by mean?

Catered by appears in passive sentences such as The wedding was catered by a hotel.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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