hot pepper

noun

: any of various small and usually thin-walled capsicum fruits of marked pungency
also : a plant (especially a variant or cultivar of Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens) bearing hot peppers

Examples of hot pepper in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bell and hot peppers as well as green beans, which ranked No. 9 and No. 12, respectively, last year are not included on the latest list. Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 11 June 2025 Extracts of garlic, hot pepper, orange peels or companion planting are ineffective. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 7 May 2025 Rather than a variation on Thousand Island, what’s become the go-to spread for burgers across the city, Pool adds a dollop of hot pepper relish to her burgers. Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025 Some repel deer with a disagreeable taste, such as hot pepper. Luke Miller, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for hot pepper

Word History

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hot pepper was in 1945

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hot pepper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20pepper. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

hot pepper

noun
1
: an often thin-walled and small pepper with a sharp or biting taste
2
: a pepper plant of the nightshade family that bears hot peppers
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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