What does burger mean?
A burger is a sandwich or bun filled with a patty, most commonly made from ground beef, although chicken, vegetable, and other fillings are also widely used. The word is especially common in menus, restaurants, picnics, and casual conversation. “Burger” is shorter and more flexible than “hamburger”: it can serve as a general category, while “hamburger” often retains the more specific association with a beef patty. Common forms include cheeseburger, veggie burger, chicken burger, and burger and fries, and the word also appears in phrases such as burger joint. Although its culinary associations are modern and familiar, the term has an older linguistic history, deriving from “hamburger,” which in turn refers to Hamburg, Germany. The word is thus both a practical modern label for a popular food and a small example of how language preserves traces of trade, travel, and cultural exchange.
nounA sandwich consisting of a patty of ground meat, usually beef, served in a bun, often with toppings such as cheese, lettuce, or sauce. By extension, it may refer to a similar sandwich made with chicken, vegetables, or another filling.
- A hamburger-style sandwich made with a meat, vegetable, or other filling between pieces of bread, especially a bun.
"They ordered cheeseburgers and fries at the neighborhood burger joint."
"She grilled burgers on the patio while the children set out plates and napkins."
"The menu includes a mushroom burger and a spicy chicken burger alongside the classic beef option."
The regular plural is used for individual burgers and, in food or retail contexts, for multiple servings or varieties.
"The stall sells burgers, fries, and cold drinks."
Burger carries a whole city in its name: it comes by way of Hamburg, Germany.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of burger
Burger is a shortened form of “hamburger.” The longer word comes from “Hamburg steak,” a dish associated with Hamburg, Germany, and eventually developed into the name of the ground-beef sandwich. The shorter form “burger” became established in modern English and was later extended in compounds such as cheeseburger.
How burger is actually used
Burger is standard everyday English in both British and American usage. It is especially common in menus, casual speech, and food-industry language, where it can be used more broadly than hamburger for sandwiches with non-beef fillings.
Easily confused with burger
A hamburger is a specific type of burger, traditionally made with a beef patty, while burger is the broader everyday term and can also refer to chicken, vegetable, or other filled sandwiches.
Burger means a food sandwich or patty, whereas burgher is a rare historical term for a citizen of a borough and is not its usual modern meaning.