ketchup

noun

ketch·​up ˈke-chəp  ˈka- 

variants or less commonly catchup

ˈke-chəp  ˈka- 

or catsup

ˈke-chəp  ˈka-  ˈkat-səp 

: a seasoned pureed condiment usually made from tomatoes

Examples of ketchup in a Sentence

She put ketchup on her hamburger.

Recent Examples on the Web

That's a sandwich of plain white bread with beef sausage and ketchup. —Claire Reilly, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024

Light brown sugar and white wine vinegar: Add some extra sweet and sour flavor to the ketchup glaze. —Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2024

Add onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, bacon, cheese, ketchup, or nothing at all! —Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 2 Nov. 2024

The Hungry Bear offers ketchup at the Fixin’s stand, but don’t bother bringing any to the table. —Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed, directly or via Malay kecap (phonetically kətʃap) "fish sauce," from Southern Min (Chinese dialects of southeast Fujian) kôe-chiap (Xiamen), kê-chiap (Zhangzhou), from kôe, kê "salted or pickled fish or shellfish" + chiap "juice, sap"

First Known Use

circa 1690, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ketchup

• tomato ketchup

Kids Definition

ketchup

noun

ketch·​up

variants also catchup

ˈkech-əp,

ˈkach-

or catsup

ˈkech-əp 

ˈkach-;

ˈkat-səp

: a thick seasoned sauce usually made from tomatoes