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

In Levi’s press box alone, there were taped over logos of 23 different bottles of ketchup, mayonnaise and hot sauce, lest a journalist dare mention Heinz in their write-up. —Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

Think middle-class families gathered around picnic tables, pitchers of lemonade sweating in the heat, baskets brimming with soft buns, and squeeze bottles of ketchup and mustard. —Ashley Rose Young, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 June 2026

Top the hearty ground beef with a tangy soy-ketchup glaze to enhance its flavor. —Jenna Sims, Southern Living, 18 June 2026

Insomnia, a general malaise that arrived a little earlier each winter, blood pressure creeping upward, gluey cognition, chi clogged as ketchup. —Literary Hub, 17 June 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