hamburger
noun
ham·burg·er
ˈham-ˌbər-gər 
variants
or hamburg
1
a
: ground beef
b
: a patty of ground beef
2
: a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split typically round bun
Examples of hamburger in a Sentence
They served hot dogs and hamburgers at the cookout.
Add the cooked hamburger to the sauce.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gordon Ramsay is back for more Kitchen Nightmares — and nothing could be scarier than one restaurant owner's extra-rare hamburgers.
—
Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025
For a true diner experience, visit Johnnie’s Drive-In, where, as a child, Elvis used to order hamburgers.
—Emma John, AFAR Media, 7 Jan. 2025
The starting hourly base pay for Park City ski patrol is $21 and the membership is looking for a raise to $23 an hour—for context, a one-day lift ticket costs $328 and a hamburger $25 at the resort.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 5 Jan. 2025
The priests led him and his family to a Five Guys for hamburgers.
—Jes Aznar, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hamburger 
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Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 14 Jan. 2025
For a true diner experience, visit Johnnie’s Drive-In, where, as a child, Elvis used to order hamburgers.
—Emma John, AFAR Media, 7 Jan. 2025
The starting hourly base pay for Park City ski patrol is $21 and the membership is looking for a raise to $23 an hour—for context, a one-day lift ticket costs $328 and a hamburger $25 at the resort.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 5 Jan. 2025
The priests led him and his family to a Five Guys for hamburgers.
—Jes Aznar, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for hamburger
Dictionary Entries Near hamburger
Cite this Entry
“Hamburger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hamburger. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hamburger
noun
ham·burg·er
ˈham-ˌbər-gər
variants
or hamburg
1
a
: ground beef
b
: a cooked patty of ground beef
2
: a sandwich consisting of a patty of hamburger in a split round bun
Etymology
German Hamburger (adjective) "of Hamburg," city in Germany
Word Origin
It may seem odd that there isn't any ham in a hamburger. The origins of the word hamburger, however, have nothing to do with a type of meat. The word really comes from the name of the German city Hamburg. Hamburger, when capitalized, means "of Hamburg." Cakes of ground beef, often served raw, were a popular food in northern Germany in the 19th century, and so they became known in English as Hamburger steaks. The name was later shortened to hamburger. Most people no longer associate the word hamburger with the city of Hamburg, since the hamburger is now usually thought of as an American food.
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