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
This felt as far away from cheese as those SpongeBob Krabby Patty gummies are to underwater hamburgers.
—
Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
The restaurant cooked up hamburgers for fans.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
The Country Store sells a collection of fall decorating items, delicious jams, jellies and honey, farm toys and more, while concessions classics like BBQ and hamburgers plus fall favorites like pumpkin fudge and funnel cakes can be found at the Food Depot.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Oct. 2025
Much of what is imported is lean beef trimmings that meatpackers mix with fattier beef produced in the United States to produce the varieties of ground beef that domestic consumers want, so any change in imports would affect primarily hamburger.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hamburger
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Alex Beggs, Bon Appetit Magazine, 28 Oct. 2025
The restaurant cooked up hamburgers for fans.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
The Country Store sells a collection of fall decorating items, delicious jams, jellies and honey, farm toys and more, while concessions classics like BBQ and hamburgers plus fall favorites like pumpkin fudge and funnel cakes can be found at the Food Depot.
—Katie Nixon, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Oct. 2025
Much of what is imported is lean beef trimmings that meatpackers mix with fattier beef produced in the United States to produce the varieties of ground beef that domestic consumers want, so any change in imports would affect primarily hamburger.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hamburger
Cite this Entry
“Hamburger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamburger. Accessed 3 Nov. 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.
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