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

Whataburger makes not one but two varieties of ketchup in house. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Mar. 2025

Polypropylene is typically found in bottles of ketchup, medicine and syrup, as well as in straws and bottle caps. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 29 Mar. 2025

After 21 games of patting, the ketchup bottle has finally yielded some sauce. —Carl Anka, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

Even so, Jones might think twice about leaving the ketchup unattended in the future. —William Lambers, Newsweek, 9 Mar. 2025

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