burger

The word “burger” means a patty of ground meat (or a meatless substitute) served in a split bun, often with toppings. In plain terms, a hamburger, or any similar sandwich made with a patty in a bun.

“Burger” is pronounced BUR-guh (/ˈbɝ.ɡɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “burger” used in a sentence: “He ordered a cheeseburger and fries.”

“Burger” is a noun.

The word “burger” comes from German. Shortened from "hamburger", itself named after Hamburg, Germany, with the word later mistakenly broken up into "ham" + "burger".

“Burger” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

A hamburger is specifically a burger made with ground beef, while burger is the broader term for any patty served in a split bun, including chicken, fish, and veggie burgers. In everyday speech the two are interchangeable when beef is involved, since burger began as a shortened form of hamburger.

The word comes from Hamburg, the German city, by way of "Hamburg steak", an earlier name for a seasoned beef patty. English speakers later reinterpreted the word as ham + burger, which detached burger as a word in its own right and produced formations like cheeseburger and veggie burger.

By the broad definition — a filling served in or between bread — a burger qualifies as a sandwich, since it is a patty served in a split bun. In everyday usage, though, most people and menus treat burgers as their own category rather than listing them with sandwiches.

Yes. A burger is a patty of ground meat or a meatless substitute served in a split bun, so veggie burgers, bean burgers, and plant-based burgers are all burgers in the standard sense. When the distinction matters, meat versions are specified as beef burgers or hamburgers.