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

The walls were lined with grocery shelves laden with ingredients nicked from Ducasse’s kitchen, with a few bottles of Heinz ketchup thrown in to broadcast the theme, which was chaos. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 29 May 2026

The sauce gets its pep and sweetness from ketchup, molasses, mustard, and a dash of cayenne. —Lizzy Briskin, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 May 2026

This zesty dip calls for mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup, vinegar, sriracha, and Worcestershire. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 23 May 2026

Chi Dog reps the Midwest via Chicago, nary a ketchup packet in sight. —Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 22 May 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