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.
Processing tomatoes — those used in products such as canned diced tomatoes and ketchup — are also fetching lower prices than they did a few years ago.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
At Mitsuwa Marketplace, the sprawling Japanese supermarket outside Chicago, Pastry House Hippo sells a frankfurter inside a beautiful yeasty shell, striped with ketchup.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
Watching Banderas spend a day simmering his own handcrafted ketchup simply to store it in repurposed Heinz bottles says everything about the guy’s devotion to food and his indifference toward marketing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Hot pepper sauce in Caribbean cuisine is as pervasive as ketchup in the US.
From BBC ● May 31, 2026
There’s nothing in the fridge but baking soda in the way back and half-empty bottles of ketchup, barbeque sauce, and mustard on the door.
From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson
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