pesto

noun

pes·​to ˈpe-(ˌ)stō 

: a sauce made especially of fresh basil, garlic, oil, pine nuts, and grated cheese

Examples of pesto in a Sentence

Top the bread with pesto.

Recent Examples on the Web

All of the food is made fresh, in-house, with high-quality ingredients, including the dressings and sandwich topping, such as their hummus, tzatziki, pesto, and more. — Pamela Brown, Hartford Courant, 16 Aug. 2026

Or, make a pesto with feta by blending it with a little olive oil, herbs such as basil or parsley, black olives, walnuts, or pine nuts. — Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026

Harvesting fragrant basil leaves for use in dishes like pesto is one of the joys of summer for gardeners. — Alexandra Jones, The Spruce, 12 Aug. 2026

At Mother Pizzeria in Newport, Rhode Island, a Panouzzo sandwich with stracciatella, pistachio and pesto in warm sourdough bread. — Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from pesto, adjective, pounded, from pestare to pound, from Late Latin pistare, frequentative of Latin pinsere

First Known Use

1937, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

pesto

noun

pes·​to ˈpes-tō 

: a sauce made especially of fresh basil, garlic, oil, pine nuts, and grated cheese