hamburger

noun

ham·​burg·​er ˈham-ˌbər-gər How to pronounce hamburger (audio)
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
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.
Skull regularly sat on a bench outside the club, inviting people into the club where patrons could get a hamburger for 25 cents, two eggs for 50 cents and a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer for 35 cents. Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 7 Oct. 2025 The couple with the hiking poles were there, too, eating hamburgers and speaking too softly for Daria and Andrés to overhear. Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025 Come Sunday afternoon, bellies full of hotdogs and hamburgers, the campers exchange hugs and phone numbers. Rachel Hale, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025 What To Know To create its rankings of which cities spend the most and least on fast food, WalletHub examined average food prices of hamburgers, pizza and chicken sandwiches across 100 cities, before adjusting for their average monthly incomes. Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hamburger

Word History

Etymology

German Hamburger of Hamburg, Germany

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hamburger was in 1884

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hamburger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamburger. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

hamburger

noun
ham·​burg·​er ˈham-ˌbər-gər How to pronounce hamburger (audio)
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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