red pepper

American  

noun

• red peppers
  plural

1. cayenne.

2. a pepper, Capsicum annuum longum, cultivated in many varieties, the yellow or red pods of which are used for flavoring, sauces, etc.

3. the mild, ripe fruit of the sweet pepper, Capsicum annuum grossum, used as a vegetable.

---

red pepper British  

noun

1. any of several varieties of the pepper plant Capsicum frutescens , cultivated for their hot pungent red podlike fruits

2. the fruit of any of these plants

3. the ripe red fruit of the sweet pepper

4. another name for cayenne pepper

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• red peppers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of red pepper

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

red pepper

If you’re particularly sensitive to heat, though, feel free to scale back the red pepper flakes and hot honey.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

Working from before dawn until midnight, farmers Nikoletta Pajsan Nagy and Laszlo Pajsan fought Europe's driest summer ever to save their red pepper harvest in Hungary.

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Throw in fennel seed, red pepper flakes, an obscene amount of parsley, the zest of an entire lemon or a few dashes of soy sauce.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Add minced garlic, minced ginger and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

I smell hot red pepper flakes, but the other smells are sharp and sweet, unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before.

From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• chili pepper
• hot pepper
• jalapeno