hamburger

American  

[ham-bur-ger] / ˈhæmˌbɜr gər /

Also hamburg

noun

• hamburgers
  plural

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.

3. Also called Hamburg steak.  a patty of ground or chopped beef, seasoned and fried or broiled.

4. Digital Technology. hamburger menu.

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hamburger British  

/ ˈhæmˌbɜːɡə /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hamburgers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hamburger

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 -er ¹

Explanation

A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked meat patty on a bun or roll. You can order a hamburger, fries, and a shake at most fast food restaurants. Hamburgers are traditionally made with ground beef and served with onions, tomatoes, lettuce, ketchup, and other garnishes. You can also make a hamburger with turkey or other kinds of meat — although rarely, if ever, is ham used in a hamburger. Hamburgers were originally called "hamburg steak," named for the German city of Hamburg, although no actual connection between the place and the food has ever been documented.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hamburger hamburgers

On Monday, Regis said, he briefly walked away from his hamburger when a worker called out to him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The best documented, however, are that of an American airline pilot who died hours after eating a hamburger in 2024, and Jeremy's.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Rapport matters, and if you don’t have confidence in this guy when you are done politely grilling him like a hamburger on the Fourth of July, move on to someone who does.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

Suddenly, the half-empty carton of cream in the fridge, the berries on the brink of collapse and the hamburger buns lingering in the bread box stop looking like scraps and start looking like material.

From Salon ● May 25, 2026

I take the tray with the same old hamburger bun on it over to the side of the cafeteria where the ketchup and mustard packs are.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

Church fairs were as likely to serve pancit and spring rolls as hamburgers and tacos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Spend enough years standing behind pyramids of hamburgers, posing at fry stations and inserting yourself into the iconography of American restaurant chains, and eventually the props begin to accrue meanings of their own.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

Some customers are leaving vegetables off hamburgers and sandwiches, but people are still ordering salads.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

When that man brought him to a fast-food restaurant and ordered hamburgers, Ahmad remembered, “I told him, ‘I don’t eat pork.’

From Slate ● Apr. 19, 2026

Even Chicken McNuggets have the same fast-food taste as the hamburgers or french fries, though they’re technically chicken, not potato or beef.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan