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

Some products handled stains like ketchup, coffee, oil and gravy well, though results varied considerably by brand. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Sep. 2026

Some performed well on stains like ketchup, coffee, oil and gravy, though results varied widely by brand. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2026

The President, who likes his steak well done and slathered in ketchup, met with a Brazilian beef magnate named Joesley Batista, who in the past had admitted to making large payments to public officials and was briefly jailed. — Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2026

By the time the check arrives, our table contains strawberry cheesecake, strawberry sauce, french fries covered in ketchup and Angelyne, all occupying the same general color family. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026

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