hamburger

[ ham-bur-ger ]
See synonyms for hamburger on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground or chopped beef, usually in a roll or bun, variously garnished.

  2. ground or chopped beef.

  1. Also called Ham·burg steak [ham-burg steyk] /ˈhæm bɜrg ˌsteɪk/ . a patty of ground or chopped beef, seasoned and fried or broiled.

  2. Digital Technology. hamburger menu.

Origin of hamburger

1
First recorded in 1880–85; short for Hamburger steak or Hamburg steak, a dish that originated in Hamburg, Germany, the port city from which many Germans emigrated to the United States, or in New York City and was made popular by immigrant Germans in the 19th century in Greater New York; see -er1
  • Also ham·burg [ham-burg] /ˈhæm bɜrg/ (for defs. 1-3) .

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hamburger in a sentence

  • The meal usually consisted of several hot dogs or hamburgers, a piece of pie and coffee.

    Ticktock and Jim | Keith Robertson
  • I made hamburgers too that night, and they each ate two hamburgers.

    Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
  • “Two hamburgers coming right up,” chuckled Mark, flattening twin hunks of ground meat on the grill.

    Swamp Island | Mildred A. Wirt
  • “Such bad luck I have this summer,” sighed Mark, expertly turning the hamburgers and salting them.

    Swamp Island | Mildred A. Wirt
  • At lunchtime Mrs. Miller broiled hamburgers on the charcoal grill out in the woodshed, which connected to the kitchen.

    The Blue Ghost Mystery | Harold Leland Goodwin

British Dictionary definitions for hamburger

hamburger

hamburg

/ (ˈhæmˌbɜːɡə) /


noun
  1. a flat fried cake of minced beef, often served in a bread roll: Also called: Hamburger steak, beefburger

Origin of hamburger

1
C20: shortened from Hamburger steak (that is, steak in the fashion of Hamburg)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012