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Synonyms

hot pepper

American  

noun

  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

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

The two story lines don’t cross paths, as they often do in Hong’s films; they are united only by the deployment of a culinary hack: mixing hot pepper paste into ramyun.

From New York Times • May 16, 2024

The hot pepper also grows wild in parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023

What is it like in the world of hot pepper breeding?

From Scientific American • Oct. 26, 2023

Supreme shakes hot pepper sauce onto his plate.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas