chili

noun

ˈchi-lē 

variants or less commonly chile or chiefly British chilli

plural chilies also chiles or chilis or chiefly British chillies

1

a

or chili pepper : a hot pepper of any of a group of cultivars (Capsicum annuum annuum group longum) noted for their pungency

b

chiefly British chilli : a pepper whether hot or sweet

2

a

: a thick sauce of meat and chilies

liked to cover her spaghetti with red chili

b

: chili con carne

a bowl of chili

also : a similar dish made without beef

vegetarian chili

seafood chili

Examples of chili in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lahsooni Oysters — topped with chili garlic butter, amul cheese, sooji rusk crumbs and chives, pulled from the menu at Adi’s Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Ishq in New York. — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2026

Beside it, a triple slider reveals an indoor-outdoor game room with sunken chili-pepper-red velvet seating, a realistic Ben & Aja Blanc Moon Light recessed into the ceiling, and Sutherland’s must-have dry-erase board. — Morgan Goldberg, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026

Chili For the past two years, Wolf has been refining her chili recipe. — Taylor Mims, Billboard, 7 Oct. 2026

Chili Cook-Off Sample chili entries and support the Kiwanis Club of Historic Roswell’s mission of serving children and strengthening the local community. — Mary Caldwell, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chīlli

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing chili

• chili con carne
• chili con queso
• chili crisp
• chili dog
• chili oil
• chili powder
• chili sauce
• chili verde
• ghost chili

Rhymes for chili

• billie
• billy
• chilli
• chilly
• dilly
• filly
• frilly
• gillie
• gilly
• hilly
• lily
• philly

Kids Definition

chili

noun

variants also chile or chilli

ˈchil-ē

plural chilies also chiles or chilis or chillies

1

: hot pepper sense 1

2

: chili con carne

Geographical Definition

Chili

geographical name

ˈchi-lē 

—former, especially British name for Chile or for the once poorly defined Andes border region between Chile and Argentina