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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of hot pepper

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

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

You’ll find “planetary frankfurters” — hot dogs launched into orbit by a relish-cheese spread and something called liquid hot pepper seasoning.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 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

We’re one of the largest hot pepper farms in the U.S.

From Scientific American • Oct. 26, 2023

Unsuspecting, George energetically attacked my mother’s breast only to let go of it instantly and start hollering because of the hot pepper.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane

Related Words

• chili pepper
• jalapeno
• red pepper