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

Imagine the ribs are a bottle and the mucus is the ketchup desperately clinging to its sides, Welsh says. —Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Mix Into Condiments An easy way to incorporate flax into your meals is to stir it into condiments like mayonnaise and ketchup, and dips like guacamole or hummus. —Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 10 Apr. 2026

Oscar Mayer hot dogs are easy to chew and would take well to different flavors or toppings—especially ketchup. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 8 Apr. 2026

The camera pans down to the lobster crawling on the floor and the falling ketchup bottle, and then back up to show the aftermath. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Apr. 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