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hot pepper
noun
: any of various small and usually thin-walled capsicum fruits of marked pungency
also
: a plant (especially a variant or cultivar of Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens) bearing hot peppers
Examples of hot pepper in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other ways to enjoy hot peppers include: Pair hot peppers with herbs and spices like basil, cilantro, cumin, or ginger.
—Anthea Levi, Health, 30 Mar. 2024
A little hot pepper sauce and chili powder turn up the heat.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
Veggie: Pizza sauce (red or white), onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, artichoke hearts, black olives and/or hot peppers.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 8 Feb. 2024
At Hot Daisy, the offerings range from classic pepperoni, which can be ordered firefighter style with hot peppers, to an elote slice — a surprise favorite for a purist like me.
—Jill Cassidy, The Arizona Republic, 16 Jan. 2024
This case provides further evidence that ingestion of hot peppers may lead to serious consequences and that further research is needed to assess their safety.
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 8 Sep. 2023
Its shelves are stocked with seasonal produce and flowers, the farm’s popular hot pepper sauces and a tightly edited collection of antique table goods including terrines, serving platters and ceramic pitchers.
—John Wogan Juliet Izon Gisela Williams Lindsey Tramuta Julia Halperin Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Toss in jalapeño peppers and a splash of hot pepper sauce to give it some heat, and small dill gherkins for a little extra tang.
—Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2024
The chicken banh mi is delicious and wrong: Plenty of shredded chicken and a smear of pate don’t have enough pickled carrot and cilantro and hot pepper to hit the balance of the Vietnamese icon.
—Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot pepper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1945, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near hot pepper
Cite this Entry
“Hot pepper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20pepper. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
Kids Definition
hot pepper
noun1
: an often thin-walled and small pepper with a sharp or biting taste
2
: a pepper plant of the nightshade family that bears hot peppers
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