pepper

1 of 3

noun (1)

pep·​per ˈpe-pər 

1

a

: either of two pungent spices that consist of the dried, typically ground fruit of an Indian vine (Piper nigrum):

(1)

: black pepper

(2)

: white pepper

b

: any of several similar pungent plant products: such as

(1)

: cubeb

(2)

: the dried pinkish-red husks of an Asian tree (genus Zanthoxylum) and especially Z. simulans of the rue family that are typically ground and used as a spice which produces a tingling sensation in the mouth

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

• spray
• sprinkle
• dot

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

The signature bowl, which includes Rancho Gordo heirloom beans, poblano peppers, burrata, Parmesan, oregano and sourdough bread in its autumn iteration, is now $17 instead of its original $21. —Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025

Sprinkle beef evenly with salt and pepper. —Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025

Verb

The Sharks peppered New York Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin with 29 shots in the first two periods, but were their own worst enemy at times, especially in front of their own net, in a 4-3 loss at UBS Arena. —Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025

The Oilers effectively peppered the Canucks netminder, landing 37 shots on goal, to just 15 for Vancouver. —MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for pepper

• leper
• lepper
• stepper

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