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

Other photos in the bunch included a mirror selfie with his hair pushed back courtesy of a headband, his Cloud23 hot sauce on store shelves, Animal-style fries from In-N-Out Burger (plus plenty of ketchup) and more of life’s special little moments. —Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025

That’s a hamburger with ketchup, mustard, and pickles, an order of fries, and a frosted orange shake for the uninitiated. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025

As a child, Eli Robinson liked his noodles covered in ketchup. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025

No ketchup on a Chicago-style hot dog, of course. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 30 Sep. 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