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

Garten's recipe calls for a simple glaze of ketchup over the top. —Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 14 Feb. 2026

The typical options include ketchup, honey mustard or BBQ sauce. —Eddie Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 9 Feb. 2026

The tomato sauce for pizza toast in Japan’s postwar coffee shops often was ketchup-based. —Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026

Just download the app and join My Rewards to get the free burger – topped with egg, bacon, cheese, Hash Rounds and ketchup – at participating locations (no purchase necessary). —Mike Snider, USA Today, 5 Feb. 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