paprika

noun

pa·​pri·​ka pə-ˈprē-kə 

pa-

: a usually mild red seasoning consisting of the dried finely ground pods of various sweet peppers

also : a sweet pepper used for making paprika

Examples of paprika in a Sentence

tomato sauce made with garlic, paprika, and pepper

Recent Examples on the Web

Sprinkle evenly with thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, paprika, and red pepper. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 4 July 2025

Chicken pieces are sauteed with butter, onions, cream and paprika. —Irv Erdos, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 June 2025

Add the roasted peppers, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper and mix well. 5. —Carole Kotkin, Miami Herald, 30 May 2025

Dusted with an almost three-dimensional coating of garlic powder, paprika and monosodium glutamate, the chip recreates the culturally ambiguous, orange-staining thrill of an American fast-food taco with frightening accuracy. —Bradley Hohulin, IndyStar, 16 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Hungarian, from Serbian & Croatian, from papar ground pepper, ultimately from Latin piper — more at pepper

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paprika

• arnica
• carica
• rebekah
• turcica
• chica

Kids Definition

paprika

noun

pa·​pri·​ka pə-ˈprē-kə 

pa-

: a mild red spice consisting of the dried finely ground fruit of various cultivated sweet peppers