burger
noun
a hamburger.
Jump To:
-
burger
-
Burger
BurgernounWarren Earl, 1907–1995, U.S. jurist: chief justice of the U.S. 1969–86.
-
-burger
-burgera combining form extracted from hamburger, occurring in compounds the initial element of which denotes a special garnish for a hamburger or a substitute ingredient for the meat patty.
-
Bürger
BürgernounGottfried August (ˈɡɔtfriːt ˈauɡʊst). 1747–94, German lyric poet, noted particularly for his ballad Lenore (1773)
burger
1 American
[bur-ger]
/ ˈbɜr gər /
noun
-
burgers
plural
-
a hamburger.
-
a food patty, or patty on a bun, containing ingredients other than beef.
veggie or turkey burgers.
Burger
2
American
[bur-ger]
/ ˈbɜr gər /
noun
-burger
3
American
burger
1
British
/ ˈbɜːɡə /
noun
Bürger
2
British
/ ˈbyrɡər /
noun
Usage
What does -burger mean? The combining form -burger is used like a suffix indicating a kind of hamburger or other patty in a sandwich bun. The form -burger comes from the end of the word hamburger, meaning "a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground beef in a roll or bun." The word hamburger itself comes from a shortening of a dish named Hamburger steak, from the German city of Hamburg.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of burger
1935–40, extracted from hamburger by false analysis as ham 1 + burger
Explanation
A grilled beef patty on a bun is called a burger. Lunch at a fast food restaurant often consists of a burger and fries. You can use the word burger as a casual shorthand for hamburger, which is ground or minced beef that's fried and served on a bun. A burger can also be made of other ingredients, like turkey or tofu or lamb. In fact, if you shape food into a patty, grill it, and put it on a roll or bun, you can call it a burger. The word was first used in 1939, from hamburger.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"I can have a chicken burger and it's really healthy because of the way I cooked it."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
I like to put the fries on the burger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The No. 2 U.S. burger chain by sales has charged its corporate chef with upgrading the sauces, buns and packaging for its food.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
For a struggling burger restaurant, this was less an offer than a small miracle.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
They bought me a big burger and a big order of french fries, and I felt a lot better.
From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola
In-N-Out Burger recently added four California locations to its “opening soon” list: three in Southern California and one in the Central Valley, according to the company’s website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
Carl’s Jr. is targeting Burger King with a “Stealing the Crown” promotion offering a free burger to consumers who submit a rival’s receipt or a paper crown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Burger King is trying to convince America it has the best burger out—and that it is worth paying for.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In-N-Out Burger this week announced several menu changes in line with a recent push to reduce use of artificial dyes and processed ingredients.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
As Burger approached the water, he could hear Dasch's voice over the crash of the waves.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
The suffix -burger is loaned from hamburger to form cheeseburger or veggie burger - even though a hamburger refers to its origins in Hamburg, Germany, not to a burger made from ham.
From BBC ● May 11, 2013
About the time when 'Götz' appeared, this enthusiasm for early German poetry was at its strongest, and Bürger, Voss, Miller, and Höltz wrote Minnesongs, in which they imitated the old German lyric poets.
From A History of English Romanticism in the Eighteenth Century by Henry A. (Henry Augustin) Beers
He wrote graceful vers de societé, made translations from Bürger, and is best remembered by his well-known ballad of Gelert.
From A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature by John W. (John William) Cousin
Then, more lately, what songs have not Bürger and Voss composed!
From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 02 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Kuno Francke
In 1794 the plan for The Hours was realized under favorable auspices, and in the same year occurred the death of Bürger.
From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 04 Masterpieces of German Literature Translated into English. in Twenty Volumes by Kuno Francke
It was here too that he formed the friendship of Bürger, to whose Academie der Schönen Redekünste, he contributed his Ariadne, and an essay on Dante.
From Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature by John Black
The new menu for Delta One travelers will include wagyu beef burgers, Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon and Kentucky bourbon from Blanton’s as the airline competes for big-spending customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
McDonald’s on Wednesday also said it would roll out bigger burgers, adding that it was exploring fresh Quarter Pounders and hot-off-the-grill preparation in more areas.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
On the official Facebook page for the Lincoln in recent days, the Navy posted images of a barbecue in the carrier’s hangar bay, with sailors lining up for burgers and hot dogs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Researchers examined a wide range of products commonly available to UK shoppers, including burgers, vegetarian chicken pieces, vegan sausages, and oat, almond and soy-based milks.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
“But make sure you’re back in time for dinner. Your dad is planning to grill some burgers tonight.”
From "Trouble at the Arcade (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #1)" by Franklin W. Dixon
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
