hamburger

hamburger — noun

1. a food made by forming finely chopped beef into a round disc, then frying or gri

1.nounA1
Definition

a food made by forming finely chopped beef into a round disc, then frying or grilling it and placing it inside a soft bread bun that has been cut open, often with added vegetables, cheese, or sauces.

Example

Gita ordered a hamburger with cheese and lettuce for lunch.

countable: order + a hamburger + with [ingredient]

The children shared a hamburger and some fries at the party.

Common collocations
  • a hamburger with cheese
  • cook hamburgers
  • order a hamburger
  • hamburger and fries
  • hamburger bun
Synonyms
  • burger

    informal short form; can refer to any type of patty, not just beef

  • patty

    refers only to the meat portion, not the whole sandwich

Grammar Patterns

a hamburger

hamburger + with [ingredient]

Usage Note

You can shorten hamburger to burger in informal conversation — 'Want to grab a burger for dinner?' However, burger may also refer to patties made from chicken, beans, or vegetables, while hamburger specifically means beef.

Common Mistakes

I ate a ham-burger made of ham.
A hamburger is made of beef, not ham.
The name comes from Hamburg, Germany, not from the word 'ham.'

2. beef sold in raw form after being processed by a meat grinder into a fine, soft

2.nounA2
Definition

beef sold in raw form after being processed by a meat grinder into a fine, soft mixture, typically used as the base for making hamburgers, meatballs, sauces, and other cooked dishes.

Example

Jenna bought a packet of hamburger to make meatballs for dinner.

uncountable: a packet of hamburger + make [dish]

You can use fresh hamburger instead of chicken in this recipe.

Common collocations
  • a packet of hamburger
  • fresh hamburger
  • hamburger and herbs
  • cook hamburger
  • mix hamburger
Synonyms
  • ground beef

    more common term in American English for raw minced beef

  • mince

    common term in British English; can refer to other meats too

Grammar Patterns

some hamburger

hamburger + [verb]

[quantity] of hamburger

Usage Note

In this sense hamburger is uncountable — you cannot say 'two hamburgers' to mean two portions of mince. For the sandwich meaning (sense 1), it IS countable. In American English, ground beef is the more common term; hamburger in this sense is slightly informal.

Common Mistakes

I bought two hamburgers from the butcher.' (if meaning two packs of mince).
I bought some hamburger from the butcher.
Use some or a quantity word like a packet of / a kilo of for the uncountable sense.

3. a small symbol made of three short parallel lines on a computer screen, tablet,

3.nounB1
Definition

a small symbol made of three short parallel lines on a computer screen, tablet, or phone display, which you tap or click to open a list of options such as settings, pages, or links within an app or website.

Example

Hao tapped the hamburger icon in the corner to open the settings.

hamburger icon + tap + location (corner) + purpose (settings)

The hamburger menu on that website shows links to all pages.

Common collocations
  • hamburger icon
  • hamburger menu
  • hamburger symbol
  • tap the hamburger
  • click the hamburger
Synonyms
  • menu icon

    more formal and descriptive, understood by all users

  • three-line menu

    descriptive name that avoids the food metaphor

Grammar Patterns

hamburger icon + [verb]

the hamburger + [noun]

Usage Note

This meaning is informal jargon used mainly in web and app design. Non-technical speakers may not understand the term. In formal writing or user instructions, describe the symbol instead: 'the icon with three horizontal lines.'

Common Mistakes

Click the hamburger.' (ambiguous — sounds like food).
Click the hamburger icon.
Always include icon or symbol to avoid confusion with the food sense.

4. a type of road crossing where a straight main road goes through the centre of a

4.nounC1
Definition

a type of road crossing where a straight main road goes through the centre of a roundabout, so that traffic travelling straight ahead does not have to go around the circle, while vehicles turning left or right use the roundabout to change direction.

Example

The driver slowed down as he approached the hamburger junction.

Engineers designed a hamburger roundabout to improve traffic flow.

hamburger roundabout + design + purpose (traffic flow)

Common collocations
  • hamburger junction
  • hamburger roundabout
  • build a hamburger
  • design a hamburger
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

hamburger junction + [verb]

a hamburger + [noun] (modifier)

Usage Note

This is a highly specialised term used mainly by traffic engineers and urban planners in the UK. Most drivers would describe the layout rather than use this name. Do not use it in general conversation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Hamburger, burger, patty, and sandwich all refer to food but differ in scope and specificity. A hamburger is specifically a cooked beef patty in a bun. Burger is an informal shortening that has expanded to cover any type of patty in a bun — a chicken burger or veggie burger is common, but calling these 'hamburgers' would be technically incorrect. Patty refers only to the flat, round portion of meat (or plant-based substitute), not the whole assembled dish. Sandwich is a much broader category: a hamburger is technically a type of sandwich, but calling it a 'sandwich' in a restaurant would feel odd or overly generic. The historical term 'hamburger steak' (a seasoned beef patty served without a bun, often with gravy) is the original form from which the modern hamburger developed; it is rarely used today except in old recipes or diner menus. For everyday eating, hamburger is the precise word, burger is fine for casual talk, and patty is useful when distinguishing the meat from the bun.

burger ↗patty ↗sandwich ↗hamburger steak

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • hamburger and fries
  • hamburger with the lot

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanEnglish

Hamburger comes from the German city of Hamburg. In the 19th century, German immigrants brought a dish called 'Hamburg steak' — minced beef seasoned and cooked — to the United States. Over time, people began serving this patty inside a bread roll, and the name was shortened from 'Hamburg steak sandwich' to simply 'hamburger.' Despite the 'ham' in the spelling, the word has nothing to do with ham (cured pork); it is a place name, like frankfurter (from Frankfurt) or wiener (from Vienna). The modern short form 'burger' later developed and became its own productive word-forming element in terms like cheeseburger, chickenburger, and veggie burger.