panini

noun

pa·​ni·​ni pə-ˈnē-nē 

variants or less commonly panino

pə-ˈnē-nō 

plural panini or paninis

: a usually grilled sandwich made with Italian bread

Note: Panini is a plural form in Italian but is commonly used as both a singular and a plural in English. Its use as a singular has given rise the variant plural form paninis. The use of panino as a singular form in English has become relatively uncommon as panini has become established as the usual singular.

On each visit, someone at our table invariably orders a panini …

—Jodi Wright

At the back of the shop are paninis, freshly brewed coffee and two tubs of homemade soups.

—M. H. Reed

Examples of panini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carruth Cellars opens its wine gardens at both locations for locals who enjoy charcuterie, salad, paninis and wine. —San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2025

Their chefs are grilling on panini presses, smoking eggplant with no smoker, crisping chicken wings with no fryer. —Priya Krishna, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

The cafe serves their famous burrata boards, soups, salads and panini, plus more than 30 wines by the glass. —Lucille Sherman, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025

Elkin Location: 75 miles from Charlotte What to do: Grab a chicken salad panini or pimiento cheese sandwich at The Barking Coyote Kitchen, then snag some black bean hummus from the deli section for a snack later on. —Melissa Oyler, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Italian, diminutive of pane bread, from Latin panis — more at food

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for panini

• abc
• absentee
• addressee
• adoptee
• agouti
• allottee
• amphorae
• amputee
• apc
• apogee
• appointee
• assessee