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Synonyms

hot pepper

American  

noun

  • hot peppers
    plural
  1. any of variously shaped pungent peppers of the genus Capsicum, containing large amounts of capsaicin and usually having thin walls.

  2. a plant bearing such a pepper.


hot pepper British  

noun

  1. any of several varieties of the pepper Capsicum frutescens, esp chilli pepper

  2. the pungent usually small fruit of any of these plants

"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 hot pepper

First recorded in 1940–45


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:

Fancy cocktail napkins are a big seller, as are specialty jellies in flavors like hot pepper and cinnamon pear.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025

You’ll find “planetary frankfurters” — hot dogs launched into orbit by a relish-cheese spread and something called liquid hot pepper seasoning.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025

We’re one of the largest hot pepper farms in the U.S.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 26, 2023

He calls most hot pepper challenges stupid and cautions pepper peekers against being overly ambitious and reaching too quickly for a Carolina Reaper or Pepper X.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2023

I was hoping for river prawns in my traps that day, because river prawn okro soup with hot pepper was a favorite of Ma’s, and Klenam made it just as well as she did.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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