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chilli

American  
[chil-ee] / ˈtʃɪl i /

noun

  • chillies
    plural
  1. Chiefly British. variant of chili.


chilli British  
/ ˈtʃɪlɪ /

noun

  1. the small red hot-tasting pod of a type of capsicum used for flavouring sauces, pickles, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of chilli

C17: from Spanish chile, from Nahuatl chilli

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Monthly inflation in Indonesia doubled in May, driven by food prices and particularly chilli in the hot sauce-addicted country, the BPS statistics agency said Tuesday.

From Barron's Jun. 2, 2026

Indonesians eat a hot sauce known as sambal made of chilli, garlic, shallots and aromatics with just about every meal.

From Barron's Jun. 2, 2026

But a shortage of the particular chilli pepper used to create the quintessential Caribbean condiment is threatening to stifle supply, while sending costs for the region's producers soaring.

From BBC May 31, 2026

The group joke about the chilli under our nails and the smell lingering on the train home, but we're all excited to have a jar of homemade kimchi ready to put in the fridge.

From BBC Dec. 13, 2025

I’d done grilled prawns with lots of chilli and coriander, and we were drinking this delicious Chenin Blanc that he’d been given by a grateful client.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Born and raised in Hunan, he believed, "You can't be a revolutionary if you don't eat chillies".

From BBC Aug. 16, 2025

Huy Fong has since been receiving its chillies from other growers in California, New Mexico and Mexico.

From Salon May 10, 2024

Adding heat with chillies or pepper can also help by acting as a decoy to the bitterness.

From Salon Jan. 3, 2024

Last year, Gregory Foster ate 10 Carolina Reaper chillies, which Guinness World Records has named the hottest in the world, at a record time of 33.15 seconds in San Diego, California.

From Seattle Times Sep. 11, 2023

One morning I was pounding some red chillies into powder.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

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