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

But that was easy to forget on a sunny day in the beer garden at Crystal Springs Hideaway, an all-new hamburger patio and bar that felt as comfortable as an old Fort Worth dive. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Dec. 2025

Just a hamburger and coffee, maybe a pack of Lorna Doones. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Dec. 2025

Lettuce and other leafy greens now cause far more outbreaks than hamburgers, largely because they're grown near cattle operations, can be contaminated by irrigation water and are eaten raw with no cooking steps to kill pathogens. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 21 Dec. 2025

In addition to selling hefty hamburgers, Bad Boy’s menu offers sandwiches such as a chicken or Philly, plus finger steaks, fries and salads. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 13 Dec. 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.