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”
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.
The company said that after the separation, he would lead its faster-growing condiment business, with brands like Heinz ketchup and Grey Poupon mustard.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 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
With Warren Buffett gone, ketchup is no longer flavor of the month.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
After Warren Buffett and Brazilian private-equity firm 3G teamed up to buy ketchup heavyweight Heinz in 2013, they orchestrated a merger with Kraft, creating the world’s fifth-largest food company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
"I love ketchup so much. Maybe when I finish the sandwich, I'll eat the bag."
From "Pony Problems: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #3" by Carolyn Keene
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.
