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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
Its shelves are stocked with seasonal produce and flowers, the farm’s popular hot pepper sauces and a tightly edited collection of antique table goods including terrines, serving platters and ceramic pitchers.
—John Wogan Juliet Izon Gisela Williams Lindsey Tramuta Julia Halperin Jameson Montgomery, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
Toss in jalapeño peppers and a splash of hot pepper sauce to give it some heat, and small dill gherkins for a little extra tang.
—Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Jan. 2024
The chicken banh mi is delicious and wrong: Plenty of shredded chicken and a smear of pate don’t have enough pickled carrot and cilantro and hot pepper to hit the balance of the Vietnamese icon.
—Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Seeking ever higher mountains to summit, Jack started looking into Guinness World Records related to eating hot peppers.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
For even more heat, add red pepper flakes or diced hot peppers. 10 Molded Egg Salad Congealed salad is back and better than ever.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 21 June 2023
Their large vegetable garden yields different produce each year and is where Kester grows his hot peppers.
—Joanne Kempinger Demski, Journal Sentinel, 9 June 2023
Top off your dinner with this zesty sauce featuring tomatoes, cilantro, and hot peppers.
—Bhg Test Kitchen, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Mar. 2023
Served with a pair of sauces, including a housemade pique infused with hot peppers, the lechón bowl is a bottomless pit of delights.
—Tim Carman, Washington Post, 5 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hot pepper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1945, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near hot pepper
Cite this Entry
“Hot pepper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hot%20pepper. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.
Kids Definition
hot pepper
noun1
: 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
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