hot pepper
Americannoun
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any of variously shaped pungent peppers of the genus Capsicum, containing large amounts of capsaicin and usually having thin walls.
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a plant bearing such a pepper.
noun
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any of several varieties of the pepper Capsicum frutescens, esp chilli pepper
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the pungent usually small fruit of any of these plants
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.
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
Its shelves are stocked with seasonal produce and flowers, the farm’s popular hot pepper sauces and a tightly edited collection of antique table goods including terrines, serving platters and ceramic pitchers.
From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024
The hot pepper also grows wild in parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico.
From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023
Q: I have been making a hot pepper and garlic condiment for my family and friends for years.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 13, 2023
But just thinking such words made me look around guiltily, as if Mami were standing behind me with a hot pepper, set to rid me of the habit of vulgar speech.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
