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

Hotdog maker Kraft and ketchup maker Heinz will split into two separate companies. —Jj Kinahan, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Hot dogs go to the left; ketchup to the right. —Alina Selyukh, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025

Heinz ketchup bottles on display at the 2018 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholder's Meeting. —Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2025

Serve the appetizer with traditional condiments like ketchup and mustard, which can also be used to draw funny faces on the mummies. —Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Aug. 2025

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

Rhymes for ketchup

• catsup

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