pizza

American  

[peet-suh] / ˈpit sə /

noun

1. a flat, open-faced baked pie of Italian origin, consisting of a thin layer of bread dough topped with spiced tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with anchovies, sausage slices, mushrooms, etc.

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pizza British  

/ ˈpiːtsə /

noun

1. a dish of Italian origin consisting of a baked disc of dough covered with cheese and tomatoes, usually with the addition of mushrooms, anchovies, sausage, or ham

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Etymology

Origin of pizza

1930–35; < Italian pizza (variant pitta ), perhaps ultimately < Greek; Cf. pḗtea bran, pētítēs bran bread

Explanation

Pizza is a round, baked crust topped with melted cheese and tomato sauce. If you order a slice of pepperoni, you must like pizza. Pizza was an Italian invention, but over the years it's become extremely popular all around the world. The first recorded use of the word pizza (literally "pie" in Italian) was in the tenth century, in a Latin document that stipulated delivery of duodecim pizze, or "twelve pizzas" to a certain bishop on Christmas Day. Pizza as we know it today was created in Naples sometime during the nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

For investors wanting a quality name trading at a discount, Domino’s Pizza might be a good option.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Divesting Pizza Hut could reduce earnings initially, wrote Harbour, but it would leave Yum with a cleaner portfolio centered on faster-growing brands, which could support a higher valuation over time.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

Bad Bunny has joined the cast of “Toy Story 5” as the voice of a pizza-themed toy named Pizza with Sunglasses.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

Singer, rapper and actor Bad Bunny is getting a slice of the action in the new Toy Story film, making a cameo as the voice of a forgotten toy known as Pizza With Sunglasses.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Anyone who ever saw Iris Boskovitch immediately thought this about her: That girl's head is shaped exactly like the sign above Flat Face Pizza.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith