black pepper

noun

: a spice that consists of the dried fruit of an Indian vine (Piper nigrum) ground with the black husk still on

also : the vine that yields black pepper see peppercorn compare white pepper

Examples of black pepper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Whisk together half-and-half, salt, black pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper, and eggs in a large bowl. —Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025

Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Nov. 2025

Testing also showed that the artificial tongue is able to detect spicy chemicals other than capsaicin, such as those found in foods like ginger, black pepper, horseradish, garlic and onion. —New Atlas, 21 Nov. 2025

The dinner began with beef carpaccio with truffle served with crisp phyllo by Crazy Pizza followed by tortelli filled with cheese and black pepper offered by Giacomo Milano. —Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 21 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for black pepper

• leper
• lepper
• stepper

Kids Definition

black pepper

noun

: a spice that is made by grinding the fruit of the East Indian pepper with the black husk still on

Medical Definition

black pepper

noun

: a condiment that consists of the fruit of an Indian plant of the genus Piper (P. nigrum) ground with the black husk still on