ketchup

Everyday

Ketchup is a thick red sauce made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar and spices, eaten with chips, burgers and other food. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life ketchup is one of the most common sauces with fries, burgers, hot dogs and sausages. In maths, ketchup bottles might be in problems about capacity in millilitres. In science, ketchup is a strange liquid: it gets runnier when you shake it, which is why hitting the bottle helps. In Australia and New Zealand people often say «tomato sauce». Phrases: «a squirt of ketchup», «a bottle of ketchup», «tomato ketchup».

Examples

• Can I have ketchup with my chips? tree →
• He put too much ketchup on his burger. tree →
• Shake the bottle before the ketchup comes out. tree →
• The ketchup bottle holds 500 millilitres. tree →
• Ketchup is made mostly from tomatoes. tree →
• She dipped her fries in ketchup. tree →
• In Australia, people call ketchup tomato sauce. tree →
• There's ketchup on your shirt! tree →

Note

Uncountable: «some ketchup», not «a ketchup». Spelling: k-e-t-c-h-u-p (US «catsup» is rare). Ketchup has a lot of sugar and salt, so it is best in small amounts.