ketchup
Americannoun
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a condiment consisting of puréed tomatoes, onions, vinegar, sugar, spices, etc.
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any of various other condiments or sauces for meat, fish, etc..
mushroom ketchup; walnut ketchup.
noun
Etymology
Origin of ketchup
First recorded in 1705–15; from Malay kəchap “fish sauce,” perhaps from dialectal Chinese kéjāp (Guangdong) or ke-tsiap (Xiamen), akin to Chinese qié “eggplant” + chī “juice”
Explanation
Ketchup is a red, tomato-based condiment. Many people love to slather ketchup on their hamburgers and hotdogs, while others prefer mustard. You can also call ketchup catsup, but either way it's a sweet sauce made of tomatoes and spices. Commercial ketchup tends to have plenty of sugar or other sweeteners, too. Originally ketchup came in different flavors, made from ingredients like walnuts, oysters, or mushrooms, but today the tomato style has become standard. There are several theories about the origin of ketchup, one of which cites the Xiamen Chinese koechiap, "brine of fish."
Vocabulary lists containing ketchup
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.
You could save between 25% and 40% on items like mustard, ketchup or relish by doing this, Lempert said.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
A ghost stuck forever in the Halloween costume she wore — a ketchup bottle — on the night she died.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
What about a cappuccino after dinner, ketchup on pasta or parmesan on seafood pasta?
From BBC • May 9, 2026
Berkshire’s Warren Buffett had said breaking up the maker of Heinz ketchup and Kraft mac and cheese would be costly and disruptive, and that shareholders should have gotten a vote.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Crab glanced over at Ernie, who was squeezing what looked like an inch of ketchup over his burger.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions 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.
