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.
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
I have tenderness, of course, for the loaf of my childhood — the one bound with Italian breadcrumbs and glossed with ketchup, unapologetically tomato-forward, studded with green pepper.
From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026
“Now I look at unit prices. Does it really matter if it’s Heinz ketchup or store brand?”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026
Gradually, the mood in the car gets lively as a debate about ketchup versus mustard takes over the front seat—ketchup is the correct answer, obviously.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
