pepper

1 of 3

noun (1)

pep·​per ˈpe-pər 

1

a

: either of two pungent products from the fruit of an Indian plant (Piper nigrum) that are used chiefly as condiments:

(1)

: black pepper

(2)

: white pepper

b

: any of several products similar to pepper that are obtained from plants of the same genus

cubeb pepper

c

: any of various pungent condiments of plants unrelated to the pepper

Szechuan pepper

2

: any of a genus (Piper of the family Piperaceae, the pepper family) of tropical mostly jointed climbing shrubs with aromatic leaves

especially : a woody vine (P. nigrum) with spicate flowers that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which black pepper and white pepper are prepared

3

a

: capsicum sense 1

especially : one (Capsicum annuum) whose fruits are hot peppers or sweet peppers

b

: the hollow fruit of a pepper that is usually green when unripe and red or yellow when ripe

pepper adjective

pepper

2 of 3

verb

peppered; peppering ˈpe-p(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

a

: to sprinkle or season with pepper

b

: to shower with or as if with shot or other missiles

2

: to hit with or as if with rapid repeated blows

3

: to sprinkle or cover as if with pepper

peppered the report with statistics

a face peppered with freckles

pepperer

ˈpe-pər-ər 

noun

pepper

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a baseball practice or warm-up game in which usually several fielders toss the ball a short distance to a single batter who hits it back

Synonyms

Verb

• bestrew
• dot
• scatter
• sow
• spot
• spray
• sprinkle
• strew

Examples of pepper in a Sentence

Verb

You need to pepper the stew more.

pepper the costume with flecks of glitter

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Meanwhile, for dressing, in a large bowl combine mayonnaise, mustard, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 May 2024

The viral trend on social media involved eating a chip containing Carolina Reaper and Naga Viper peppers. —Michael Lee Simpson, Peoplemag, 16 May 2024

Capsaicin is the component that gives chili peppers their heat. —Steve Leblanc, Fortune, 16 May 2024

Hot dogs made with chicken, turkey, pork, and dried chili peppers stuffed with cheddar cheese Jalapeño Cheddar Stuffed Dogs and Chili Cheese Stuffed Dogs use real jalapeño peppers and chilies to bring the heat. —Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 14 May 2024

Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour over the asparagus salad, tossing to evenly coat. —Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 14 May 2024

With this in mind, SABRE released a two-in-one personal alarm and pepper gel product in April. —Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 11 May 2024

Chili peppers were used to treat illness in the Maya world and may have been placed at the site to ward off disease. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 May 2024

Whisk vigorously to combine, then season to taste with salt and pepper. 2. —Lidey Heuck, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2024

Verb

Highrise condominiums and hotels pepper the area surrounding downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Huizenga Park, which sits across from the NSU Art Museum along Las Olas Boulevard. —Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024

Chinese-language employment agencies and attorney offices pepper the core city blocks. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024

Such an event may have even brought about a cataclysmic period known as the Late Heavy Bombardment—when planetesimals peppered the inner solar system and potentially forged many of the craters that pockmark the surface of the moon today. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 May 2024

The Wolfpack peppered 23 shots at San Diego’s goal. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 May 2024

Then there was the big question of who the audience might be for a movie that’s part political drama, part arty sci-fi, part romance and even part screwball comedy, peppered throughout with lofty references to literature, philosophy, history and religion. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 May 2024

Knee-high, eroded Jizo statues that resembled children — often cloaked in red bibs — peppered the trail to ward off evil and safeguard wayfarers like me. —Norma Meyer, Orange County Register, 15 May 2024

In Friday’s league opener against John Carroll, Gilman peppered the Patriots in a dominant 25-7 win. —Glenn Graham, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024

Prosecutors had already peppered him with questions Tuesday to set the stage about how his company American Media Inc. sought to help Trump's campaign by stopping negative stories about him. —Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English peper, from Old English pipor, from Latin piper, from Greek peperi

Noun (2)

probably from pep entry 2 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1943, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pepper

• banana pepper
• bell pepper
• bird pepper
• black pepper
• cayenne pepper
• chili pepper
• ghost pepper
• green pepper
• hot pepper
• pepper-and-salt
• pepper jack
• pepper jack cheese
• pepper mill
• pepper pot
• pepper shaker
• pepper spray
• pepper with
• Philadelphia pepper pot
• red pepper
• salt-and-pepper
• sweet pepper
• water pepper
• white pepper

Kids Definition

pepper

1 of 2 noun

pep·​per ˈpep-ər 

1

: either of two sharp-tasting products from the fruit of an Indian plant used especially as a seasoning

a

: black pepper

b

: white pepper

2

: a woody vine with rounded leaves and flowers arranged in a spike that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which pepper is prepared

3

: any of several products similar to pepper that are obtained from close relatives of the pepper

4

a

: any of a genus of tropical American herbs and shrubs of the nightshade family widely cultivated for their many-seeded fruits that usually have fleshy walls

especially : one whose fruits are hot peppers or sweet peppers

b

: the fruit of a pepper that is usually green when unripe and yellow or red when ripe

pepper adjective

pepper

2 of 2 verb

peppered; peppering ˈpep-(ə-)riŋ 

1

: to sprinkle, cover, or season with or as if with pepper

pepper the stew

a face peppered with freckles

2

: to hit with a shower of blows or objects

Medical Definition

pepper

noun

pep·​per ˈpep-ər 

1

a

: a woody Indian vine of the genus Piper (P. nigrum) that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which black pepper and white pepper are prepared

b(1)

: black pepper

(2)

: white pepper

2

: capsicum sense 2