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

This squeeze starts upstream on the ranch and flows straight through to your hamburger on the grill.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026

Burgers remain the biggest segment of the U.S. restaurant industry, but the $113 billion hamburger sector is in a rough patch domestically.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

So far, they have been to chains including the Tex-Mex staple Chipotle and the famous hamburger shop Shake Shack, as well as small, independently-run restaurants.

From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026

Five years later, White Castle opened the first fast-food hamburger joint.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

“Another hamburger for the scoreboard. It’s been too long.”

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass