hamburger
/'hæmbə:gə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground beef served in a split bun, often with additional ingredients: This is the primary meaning, referring to the complete food item.
- Ground beef: In some contexts, particularly in North America, "hamburger" can refer to the raw or cooked minced beef itself, before it is formed into a patty or used in a sandwich.
Usage and Examples
- As a complete sandwich:
- I ordered a cheeseburger, which is a hamburger with cheese.
- For lunch, she ate a hamburger with lettuce and tomato.
- Referring to the meat:
- The recipe calls for one pound of hamburger. (Here, it means a pound of ground beef.)
- He bought hamburger to make meatloaf.
Advanced Usage and Notes
- The term originates from Hamburg, Germany, but the modern sandwich is considered an American invention.
- When referring to the meat, it is often used interchangeably with "ground beef" in casual American English, though "ground beef" is the more precise term.
- The sandwich is a global fast-food staple, with many regional variations in toppings and preparation.
Variants and Related Words
- Cheeseburger (n): A hamburger with a slice of cheese added.
- Hamburger patty (n): The disc-shaped portion of cooked ground beef, separate from the bun.
- Hamburger bun (n): The type of soft, round bread roll used to hold a hamburger.
Synonyms
- Burger (n, informal): A common short form for "hamburger" or "cheeseburger."
- Ground beef (n): The minced meat; a synonym for the second meaning of "hamburger."
Common Phrases and Collocations
- Hamburger joint (n): An informal restaurant, often a diner or fast-food outlet, specializing in hamburgers.
- We found a great little hamburger joint downtown.
- Hamburger meat (n): Another phrase for ground beef.
- She used hamburger meat for the spaghetti sauce.
Noun
- beef that has been ground
- a sandwich consisting of a fried cake of minced beef served on a bun, often with other ingredients