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• chile
  chile

  noun

  the pod of any of several species of Capsicum, especially C. annuum longum: used in cooking for its pungent flavor.
• Chile
  Chile

  noun

  a republic in southwestern South America, on the Pacific Coast. 286,396 square miles (741,765 square kilometers). Santiago.

chile

¹ American  

[chil-ee] / ˈtʃɪl i /

noun

1. Also called chile pepper, chili pepper. the pod of any of several species of Capsicum, especially C. annuum longum: used in cooking for its pungent flavor.

2. chili.

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chile ² American  

[chahyl] / tʃaɪl /

noun

1. a phonetic spelling of child, representing dialectal speech of the Southern United States or African American Vernacular English.

   Oh, chile, you do not want to test me!

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Chile ³ American  

[chil-ee, chee-le] / ˈtʃɪl i, ˈtʃi lɛ /

noun

1. a republic in southwestern South America, on the Pacific Coast. 286,396 square miles (741,765 square kilometers). Santiago.

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Chile ¹ British  

/ ˈtʃɪlɪ /

noun

1. a republic in South America, on the Pacific, with a total length of about 4090 km (2650 miles) and an average width of only 177 km (110 miles): gained independence from Spain in 1818; the government of President Allende (elected 1970) attempted the implementation of Marxist policies within a democratic system until overthrown by a military coup (1973); democracy restored 1988. Chile consists chiefly of the Andes in the east, the Atacama Desert in the north, a central fertile region, and a huge S region of almost uninhabitable mountains, glaciers, fjords, and islands; an important producer of copper, iron ore, nitrates, etc. Language: Spanish. Religion: Roman Catholic majority. Currency: peso. Capital: Santiago. Pop: 17 216 945 (2013 est). Area: 756 945 sq km (292 256 sq miles)

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chile ² British  

/ ˈtʃɪlɪ /

noun

1. a variant spelling of chilli

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Chile Cultural  

1. Republic in southern South America on the western slope of the Andes. Chile is a long, narrow strip of land bordered by Peru to the north, Bolivia and Argentina to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south and west. Its capital and largest city is Santiago.

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Discover More

Pinochet suppressed human rights and political activity until he lost a plebiscite in 1988. A successor was chosen in free elections. In 1998, Pinochet was arrested in Great Britain on a Spanish warrant, but a court ruled him too ill to stand trial. He returned to Chile, where attempts to prosecute him continued.

In 1973, General Augusto Pinochet led a coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, a Marxist.

Other Word Forms

• Chilean
  adjective
• pseudo-Chilean
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of chile¹

First recorded in 1855–60; variant spelling of chili ( def. )

Origin of chile²

First recorded in 1860–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chile Chile

If you enjoy heat, ask for extra basbaas, a green chile and cilantro sauce that brightens the whole plate.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

We stop at a popular shop, newly under a roof, for cheung fen, rice-flour rolls dressed in sesame, soy, and chile, and eat standing up, like before.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

When former taco stand El Ruso opened its flagship in Studio City last month, burritos wrapped in 18-inch Sonoran flour tortillas and stuffed with rib-eye or chile Colorado were priced at $20 each.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

He honed his craft during the pandemic, developing flavors like red mole topped with sesame, and a Mexican everything spice blend that includes garlic, onion, toasted cumin and ancho chile with a hint of lime.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026

Green chile was roasted and dried, and red chile was tied into colorful ristras.

From "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya

Kevin Hoy, an ESO student based in Chile and lead author of the study published in Nature, spent months examining the CD-35 2722 system.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

Copper's biggest clients are worried that Chile "does not have a significant production-increase pipeline in sight," said Guajardo.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

BioFiltro, a company founded in Chile, puts red wigglers in a bed of chips to purify wastewater from dairy stalls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

The Escondida mine in northern Chile yearly digs up around five percent of the world's copper, which is essential for the energy transition, artificial intelligence and defense.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

The strongest pre-Clovis candidate in South America is the Monte Verde site, in southern Chile, dated to at least 15,000 years ago.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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