A hamburger is a sandwich that consists of a cooked patty of ground meat that is fried, steamed, or broiled, and is generally served with various condiments and toppings inside a sliced bun baked specially for this purpose. Hamburgers are often served with french fries, potato chips

, or onion rings.

Hamburger also refers to a cooked patty of ground beef by itself.[1] The patty alone is also known as a beefburger or burger.

Hamburger can also refer to the meat itself.[1] This type of meat can be used in boxed dinners such as "Hamburger Helper". Hamburger is actually a distinct product from ground round and other types of ground meat. However, ground beef of any form is often commonly referred to as "hamburger." A recipe calling for 'hamburger' (the non-countable noun) would require ground beef or beef substitute- not a whole sandwich. Hamburger does not refer to ham.