chili

American  

[chil-ee] / ˈtʃɪl i /

especially British, chilli

noun

• chilies
  plural

1. Sometimes chile a hearty stew that is also used as a topping condiment on other dishes and has varied recipes and ingredients, with or without meat, ultimately derived from the Mexican-style chili con carne.

2. chili con carne.

3. chile.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chilies
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of chili

First recorded in 1655–65; from Mexican Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chīlli “chile pepper”

---

Explanation

A chili is a pungent, spicy pepper, and it's also the name of a delicious stew made of meat and beans that's flavored with chili powder. A chili, or chili pepper, is actually the berry of a Capsicum plant. Both fresh and dried chilis are used to add some heat and spice to all kinds of dishes, from Mexican mole to Indian curry and Thai stir-fry. They're also an important ingredient in chili con carne, the spicy stew whose name is often shortened to chili. The word derives from the Aztec chilli, "spicy pepper."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chili chilies

The flavor is unmatched, but adding a little bit more oomph to it with aromatics, whatever protein you like and some chili oil can turn it into something special.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Choi’s advice was to go the other direction: blister them, puree them, drown them in vinegar or chili, add something sweet, blend them into sauces, make them taste like the foods you already crave.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

The chili dog vendor, which has been at the corner of La Brea and Melrose for 80 years, is set to open its first location in Japan at the end of this year.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

“They stop off at Pink’s and want to try a chili dog. It’s fascinating.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Darius says, as he finishes chewing his chili dog, wipes his mouth, then his hands, and looks up at me.

From "Pride" by Ibi Zoboi

Filipino laborers came to Mexico via colonialism, and adapted and adopted champoy with spices and chilies from Mexico to become chamoy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

An even older icon awaits at Phnom Penh, a 40-year-old Vietnamese-Cambodian restaurant where crowds eagerly wait their turn to try nearly-raw marinated butter beef and lotus root sautéed with chilies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

So I cook with full heart, full flavor — lots of aromatics, herbs, chilies, hot sauces — all these flavor bombs.

From Salon ● May 23, 2025

Day laborers sort red chilies that have been dried in the scorching sunshine of India’s Andhra Pradesh state.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 26, 2024

We passed four different spice stores, each with turmeric and chilies lining the shelves and spices in colors and with names I had never seen before.

From "Amal Unbound" by Aisha Saeed

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---