black pepper

American  

noun

1. a hot, sharp condiment prepared from the dried berries of a tropical vine, Piper nigrum.

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black pepper British  

noun

1. a pungent condiment made by grinding the dried unripe berries, together with their black husks, of the pepper plant Piper nigrum

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Compare meaning

How does black-pepper compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• white pepper vs. black pepper

Example Sentences

It’s a spice mix made of cumin, coriander, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and turmeric.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In addition to French green lentils, you’ll need a medium yellow onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, vegetable broth, diced cooked ham, olive oil, cracked black pepper, sea salt and za’atar.

From Salon • Feb. 20, 2026

Go classic with vanilla bean and sour cherries, or get adventurous with rosemary and currant, or even aged cheddar and black pepper.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Once the dough had risen, I rolled it into a rectangle, spread on a thin layer of the miso-béchamel, showered it with Parmesan, Pecorino Romano and a very healthy amount of black pepper.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2025

And then you watched Vinny feed Gina a spoonful of black pepper.

From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead