hamburger
noun
ham·burg·er
ˈham-ˌbər-gər 
variants
or hamburg
1
a
: ground beef
b
: a patty of ground beef
2
: a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split typically round bun
Examples of hamburger in a Sentence
They served hot dogs and hamburgers at the cookout.
Add the cooked hamburger to the sauce.
Recent Examples on the Web
The lunch menu, which is served daily beginning at 11 a.m., reportedly consists of hamburgers, tater tots and fruit.
—
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
The fast-food giant is working to get customers back after a fall E. coli outbreak linked to raw onions in Quarter Pounder hamburgers sickened at least 104 people in 14 states.
—Anne D’innocenzio and Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
How to order off McDonald's secret menu McDonald's Big Arch hamburger being tested in international markets, including Canada
The fast-food giant introduced the burger in several markets this summer, including Canada, Portugal and Germany, according to Eat This, Not That.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 31 Dec. 2024
In this photo illustration, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger meal is seen at a McDonald’s on October 23, 2024 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
—Annika Kim Constantino,amelia Lucas, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hamburger 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
The fast-food giant is working to get customers back after a fall E. coli outbreak linked to raw onions in Quarter Pounder hamburgers sickened at least 104 people in 14 states.
—Anne D’innocenzio and Dee-Ann Durbin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2024
How to order off McDonald's secret menu McDonald's Big Arch hamburger being tested in international markets, including Canada
The fast-food giant introduced the burger in several markets this summer, including Canada, Portugal and Germany, according to Eat This, Not That.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 31 Dec. 2024
In this photo illustration, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger meal is seen at a McDonald’s on October 23, 2024 in the Flatbush neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
—Annika Kim Constantino,amelia Lucas, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hamburger
Dictionary Entries Near hamburger
Cite this Entry
“Hamburger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamburger. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hamburger
noun
ham·burg·er
ˈham-ˌbər-gər
variants
or hamburg
1
a
: ground beef
b
: a cooked patty of ground beef
2
: a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split round bun
Etymology
German Hamburger (adjective) "of Hamburg," city in Germany
Word Origin
It may seem odd that there isn't any ham in a hamburger. The origins of the word hamburger, however, have nothing to do with a type of meat. The word really comes from the name of the German city Hamburg. Hamburger, when capitalized, means "of Hamburg." Cakes of ground beef, often served raw, were a popular food in northern Germany in the 19th century, and so they became known in English as Hamburger steaks. The name was later shortened to hamburger. Most people no longer associate the word hamburger with the city of Hamburg, since the hamburger is now usually thought of as an American food.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share