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

There was a single pickle, a single piece of wilted lettuce, a slice of tomato, a slice of American cheese and a squirt of both mayonnaise and ketchup. —Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2024

On Sunday, the gold medalist posted an Instagram Story featuring a meal of two hot dogs, two servings of fries and a cup of ketchup. —Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 4 Aug. 2024

Kraft Heinz — Shares of the ketchup and mac and cheese maker gained less than 1% after reporting second-quarter earnings topped Street estimates. —Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 31 July 2024

Method 2: Ketchup Buffing Rinse the pewter item(s) in warm water with a mild soap to remove residue and dust. Squeeze ketchup on a soft cloth and buff it into the pewter design. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 1 July 2024

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

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