pepperoni

American  

[pep-uh-roh-nee] / ˌpɛp əˈroʊ ni /

Or peperoni

noun

1. a highly seasoned, hard sausage of beef and pork.

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pepperoni British  

/ ˌpɛpəˈrəʊnɪ /

noun

1. a highly seasoned dry sausage of pork and beef spiced with pepper, used esp on pizza

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Etymology

Origin of pepperoni

1920–25, < Italian peperoni, plural of peperone cayenne pepper plant, augmentative of pepe pepper

Explanation

Pepperoni is a flavorful sausage that's usually cut in thin slices. On pizza night, you and your sister might argue about toppings: you prefer pepperoni, while she likes mushrooms and olives. Officially, pepperoni is a variety of salami, a sausage that makes most people think of sandwiches rather than pizza. Usually pepperoni is bright red, with a peppery, smoky flavor and a soft, chewy texture. Rather than black pepper, most pepperoni is flavored with paprika, a seasoning made from sweet bell peppers. The origin of the name backs this up: it comes from the Italian peperone, "bell pepper."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pepperoni

Curious, I whipped up a batch and used it as a dipping sauce for a slice of her first-rate pepperoni pizza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

It was the only thing within a multi-gate radius — a landscape of breakfast smash burgers and pepperoni pizza bagels — that didn’t make me queasy.

From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2026

My Domino’s order is a small pepperoni, pineapple, olives and sausage slice ... hand tossed, cheesed up, and then I will get a side of garlic knots and a side of buffalo wings with ranch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2026

But the people who worked and ate at the Moscow Pizza Huts still remember the pepperoni and the red-checkered tablecloths and what they represented: In Russia, change wasn’t always an empty promise.

From Slate ● Nov. 13, 2025

“No way,” Erin said, looking behind me, as her face turned a shade of pepperoni.

From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan

Related Words

• bratwurst