# Hamburg

/ˈhæmbɝɡ/ (US) · /hˈæmbɜːɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hamburg
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a city in Germany

noun · CEFR A2

a large port city and state in northern Germany.

For teachers: the second-largest city in Germany, functioning as a major international port and a federal state.

- We spent three days exploring the historic canals and harbor in Hamburg.
- Hamburg remains one of Europe's most significant logistics hubs, owing to its strategic position on the River Elbe and its extensive maritime infrastructure.

### 2. a hamburger

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Slang · Informal

a common word for a hamburger in some parts of the United States.

For teachers: a regional synonym for a hamburger, particularly prevalent in the Midwestern United States.

- He ordered a basket of fries and a juicy hamburg for lunch.
- While the term is less common in coastal regions, you will frequently hear locals in the rural Midwest referring to a burger simply as a hamburg.

### 3. ground beef

noun · CEFR C1 · American English · Dialect

meat that has been cut into very small pieces, used to make burgers or sauces.

For teachers: uncountable reference to ground beef or minced meat, specifically in New England dialects.

- She bought two pounds of hamburg to make a large pot of chili.
- The recipe calls for browning the hamburg in a skillet before adding the diced onions and peppers for the meat sauce.

### 4. to annoy

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal · Slang

to bother or irritate someone.

For teachers: to annoy or vex; a rare or highly localized informal usage.

- Stop trying to hamburg me while I am trying to finish my homework.
- The constant interruptions from the construction site next door began to hamburg the residents who were attempting to work from home.

## Examples

- He is such a hamburg on the tennis court.
- The coach benched him after he played like a total hamburg during the first half of the game.
- While he possessed great enthusiasm for the local league, his reputation as a bit of a hamburg kept him from being selected for the more competitive regional tournaments.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.