chile

¹ American  

[chil-ee] / ˈtʃɪl i /

noun

1. Also called chile pepper,.  Also called chili pepper.  the pod of any of several species of Capsicum, especially C. annuum longum: used in cooking for its pungent flavor.

2. chili.

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chile ² American  

[chahyl] / tʃaɪl /

noun

1. a phonetic spelling of child, representing dialectal speech of the Southern United States or African American Vernacular English.

   Oh, chile, you do not want to test me!

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Chile ³ American  

[chil-ee, chee-le] / ˈtʃɪl i, ˈtʃi lɛ /

noun

1. a republic in southwestern South America, on the Pacific Coast. 286,396 square miles (741,765 square kilometers). Santiago.

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chile ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃɪlɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of chilli

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Chile ² British  

/ ˈtʃɪlɪ /

noun

1. a republic in South America, on the Pacific, with a total length of about 4090 km (2650 miles) and an average width of only 177 km (110 miles): gained independence from Spain in 1818; the government of President Allende (elected 1970) attempted the implementation of Marxist policies within a democratic system until overthrown by a military coup (1973); democracy restored 1988. Chile consists chiefly of the Andes in the east, the Atacama Desert in the north, a central fertile region, and a huge S region of almost uninhabitable mountains, glaciers, fjords, and islands; an important producer of copper, iron ore, nitrates, etc. Language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Santiago. Pop: 17 216 945 (2013 est). Area: 756 945 sq km (292 256 sq miles)

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Chile Cultural  

1. Republic in southern South America on the western slope of the Andes. Chile is a long, narrow strip of land bordered by Peru to the north, Bolivia and Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Santiago.

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Discover More

Pinochet suppressed human rights and political activity until he lost a plebiscite in 1988. A successor was chosen in free elections. In 1998, Pinochet was arrested in Great Britain on a Spanish warrant, but a court ruled him too ill to stand trial. He returned to Chile, where attempts to prosecute him continued.

In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet led a coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, a Marxist.

Other Word Forms

• Chilean adjective
• pseudo-Chilean adjective

Etymology

Origin of chile¹

First recorded in 1855–60; variant spelling of chili ( def. )

Origin of chile²

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

In “Everything I Want to Eat,” Jessica Koslow, of Sqirl, offers a chickpea stew with chard, poached eggs and smoked chile.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

That meant re-creating a dish, flavored with pineapple and chile peppers, that’s normally prepared with pork.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 24, 2025

F&F’s tender, pillowy pies come in variations like hot sausage and brown-butter sage, and a clam pizza with fresh lemon and red chile flakes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

There’s this swirled labneh with sizzled scallions and chile, Alison Roman’s quiet luxury take on ranch, a sauce with posture and snap.

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2025

Green chile was roasted and set to dry.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya