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.

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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

Vance has been on to defend the merits of Cincinnati chili.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 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

The dry powder is more umami-heavy with notes of garlic and shiitake mushrooms and spicy, courtesy of gochugaru, or Korean red chili pepper.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

At the same time, researchers emphasized that the evidence does not prove chili peppers cause cancer and that more rigorous studies are still needed.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

We could make ravioli and garlic bread, quesadillas with beans and rice on the side, vegetable soup, a spinach salad with dried cranberries and blue cheese, or chili with corn bread.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

It was painful to stand on the balcony, where I grow my tomatoes and chilies, and watch plumes of smoke rise on the horizon as puffs of interceptions appeared in the blue sky.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026

“And turtles? And the fact that, like, it’s all stewed up with, like, chilies and peppers and onions and like, ‘Oh, you really made this a dish?’

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 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

He sliced a few more chilies, and I twisted and pressed the pestle into my coriander powder even though it was fully crushed.

From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani