pizza

American  

[peet-suh] / ˈpit sə /

noun

• pizzas
  plural

1. 

   a flat, open-faced baked pie of Italian origin, consisting of a thin layer of bread dough topped with spiced tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with anchovies, sausage slices, mushrooms, etc.

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pizza British  

/ ˈpiːtsə /

noun

1. a dish of Italian origin consisting of a baked disc of dough covered with cheese and tomatoes, usually with the addition of mushrooms, anchovies, sausage, or ham

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pizzas
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pizza

1930–35; < Italian pizza (variant pitta ), perhaps ultimately < Greek; Cf. pḗtea bran, pētítēs bran bread

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Explanation

Pizza is a round, baked crust topped with melted cheese and tomato sauce. If you order a slice of pepperoni, you must like pizza. Pizza was an Italian invention, but over the years it's become extremely popular all around the world. The first recorded use of the word pizza (literally "pie" in Italian) was in the tenth century, in a Latin document that stipulated delivery of duodecim pizze, or "twelve pizzas" to a certain bishop on Christmas Day. Pizza as we know it today was created in Naples sometime during the nineteenth century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pizza pizzas

BJ’s is investing in its menu to keep the momentum going, for instance by upgrading its pizza offerings and adding new burgers and chicken sandwiches, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

If Thanksgiving went sideways, we could always order pizza.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

Smaller drone delivery services are popping up too: in some US cities, customers can order flying treats from their local pizza joint or ice cream parlour.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

In her driveway, they ate pizza and embraced one another in a group hug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

The items on the tabletop skid to the ground as Inkling launches himself at Gillicut’s pizza.

From "Invisible Inkling" by Emily Jenkins

You can order some appetizers or a couple of pizzas and have everyone bring their own alcohol or other beverages.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

Domino’s is promoting its new single-serve Domino pizzas with a free giveaway for people who first buy competing products like a Big Mac, Whopper or Crunchwrap Supreme.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

A now defunct duo of robots were supposed to be churning out pizzas at a Moto Pizza restaurant in Seattle.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Repelled, Nancy replies that she will be happily spending her summer slinging pizzas in Provincetown.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

He drained gallons of milk, devoured entire large pizzas in one sitting, and often snacked from dinner to bedtime.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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