Can you call a cheeseburger a hamburger? I am eating self-made ones.
closed as general reference by MrHen, J.R., Hugo, Matt E. Эллен♦, kiamlaluno Apr 24 '12 at 14:07
This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Technically, a cheeseburger is a specific form of hamburger.
But, if someone asks for a hamburger and they get a cheeseburger, they will probably be upset at not getting what they wanted. That is, the term 'hamburger' usually is used for the specific plain version, not for any kind of hamburger, at least with respect to added cheese; a cheeseburger is not a hamburger.
So you can call a cheeseburger a hamburger in a burger construction manual, but not when accepting orders in a restaurant.