hamburger

noun

ham·​burg·​er ˈham-ˌbər-gər 

variants or hamburg

ˈham-ˌbərg 

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

Many of those memories have been alongside my dad, who not only watched many of these games with me, but was more than happy to load the grill with heaps of hot dogs and hamburgers to celebrate the occasion. —Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 12 July 2025

The top answers included meat products (28%), such as lunch meat, hot dogs, and hamburgers; shelf-stable foods (14%), like canned, packaged, and frozen goods; and foods with artificial additives (13%). —New Atlas, 10 July 2025

Certainly, there are lots of people who go, great a day off and hot dogs and hamburgers, what could be better? —CBS News, 4 July 2025

While traditional hamburgers, hot dogs, and steaks are go-to's, my family loved to make Filipino BBQ. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

German Hamburger of Hamburg, Germany

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

hamburger

noun

ham·​burg·​er ˈham-ˌbər-gər 

variants or hamburg

-ˌbərg 

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.