Ketchup Meaning: How to Use This Condiment

Meaning 1：tomato ketchup (Ketchup)

Ketchup 🔊

/ˈketʃʌp/

A thick, red, sweet and sour sauce made from tomatoes, often put on fries or burgers.

Ketchup being squeezed onto french fries

tomato ketchup 🔊

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/təˈmeɪtoʊ ˈketʃʌp/

A thick, red, sweet and sour sauce made from tomatoes, commonly used as a condiment with fries, burgers, and other foods.

📁 Category：Diet & Health 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Hokkien Chinese kôe-chiap (brine of pickled fish), via Malay kichap.

💡 Mnemonic

Ketchup: 'Catch up' with your fries! This red sauce is a must-have.

📖 Example

I always ask for extra ketchup packets when I order fries at the drive-thru. 🔊 I always ask for extra ketchup packets when I order fries at the drive-thru.

🔗 Collocations

ketchup bottle – a bottle containing ketchup

ketchup packet – a small sealed package of ketchup

ketchup on fries – ketchup served as a topping on French fries

🔄 Synonyms

catsup (n.) – An alternative spelling of ketchup, referring to the same condiment.

tomato sauce (n.) – A sauce made from tomatoes, often used as a base for other condiments or directly on foods.

📖 Cultural Story

Ketchup's origin traces to Hokkien Chinese 'kê-chiap' meaning pickled fish brine. Brought to Europe by traders, it evolved into tomato-based sauce in 19th-century America.