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
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This recipe starts with vegetarian chili, and is then complemented by black beans, chickpeas, corn, diced tomatoes, peas, carrots, and chilies. Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 5 Nov. 2024 Baumgartner has capitalized on this association with chili with release of his Seriously Good Chili Cookbook, featuring 177 different recipes. Marc Berman, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024 In brief: The more chili peppers, the spicier the romance. Lizz Schumer, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024 Official tasting notes describe apple, stone fruit, and spice on the nose, followed by notes of smoke, green chili pepper, sweet pecan, bonfire embers, and a soft salinity on the palate. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chili 

Word History

Etymology

Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chīlli

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of chili was in 1604

Dictionary Entries Near chili

Cite this Entry

“Chili.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chili. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

chili

noun
variants also chile or chilli
ˈchil-ē
plural chilies also chiles or chilis or chillies

Geographical Definition

Chili

geographical name

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

More from Merriam-Webster on chili

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