1
a
: either of two pungent products from the fruit of an Indian plant (Piper nigrum) that are used chiefly as condiments:
(1)
(2)
b
: any of several products similar to pepper that are obtained from plants of the same genus
cubeb pepper
c
: any of various pungent condiments of plants unrelated to the pepper
Szechuan pepper
2
: any of a genus (Piper of the family Piperaceae, the pepper family) of tropical mostly jointed climbing shrubs with aromatic leaves
especially
: a woody vine (P. nigrum) with spicate flowers that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which black pepper and white pepper are prepared
3
a
: capsicum sense 1
especially
: one (Capsicum annuum) whose fruits are hot peppers or sweet peppers
b
: the hollow fruit of a pepper that is usually green when unripe and red or yellow when ripe
pepper
adjective
peppered; peppering
ˈpe-p(ə-)riŋ 
1
a
: to sprinkle or season with pepper
b
: to shower with or as if with shot or other missiles
2
: to hit with or as if with rapid repeated blows
3
: to sprinkle or cover as if with pepper
peppered the report with statistics
a face peppered with freckles
: a baseball practice or warm-up game in which usually several fielders toss the ball a short distance to a single batter who hits it back
Synonyms
Examples of pepper in a Sentence
Verb
You need to pepper the stew more.
pepper the costume with flecks of glitter
Recent Examples on the Web
Cynthia Graubart, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2024
Mexican chorizo is flavored with peppers and is therefore slightly spicier than Spanish chorizo.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Add peppers, stir to combine and continue cooking for another minute or two.
—Gretchen McKay, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Immediately sprinkle half of the salt, pepper and smoked paprika on eggs.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
In normal times, it is often seasoned with lemon juice or chili pepper.
—Bilal Shbair, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The sauce is tangy with some combination of fish sauce, lime, garlic, peppers, and sugar.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 4 Apr. 2024
Add the chicken mixture to the pan with peppers and onions and heat until chicken is cooked through.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 30 Mar. 2024
Assemble casserole: Arrange 2 even layers of potato slices in prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
—Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
Jake Kring-Schreifels, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
As board members peppered her with questions, Johnson explained that Baird had different modeling tools that showed a different outlook.
—Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024
Yes, all those references do pepper Durang’s work, seasoning without overwhelming the dishes.
—Elisabeth Vincentelli, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
For good measure, one of them peppered the generator with bullets.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Falling on the softer, pinker end of the peach spectrum, Texas designer Lila Malone's pick for Natalie Steen's lacquered living room is the ideal backdrop for the host of other hues that pepper the space.
—Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024
The dive bar next door, Pancha’s of Yountville, was recently sold and awaits reopening — still as a dive bar — but Ciccio sits on a stretch of road peppered by some of Yountville’s most impressive wine and food options.
—Nora Heston Tarte, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
And the filmmaker peppers in plenty of other anachronisms to establish a sunny tone, including a retro title card with production companies, colorful costuming and plenty of Gen X soundtrack staples.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
The franchise remains alive, but the best books came out between 1957 and 1977, when Goscinny wrote the stories, peppering them with his witty dialogue.
—Ernesto Lechner, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
Noun
Melt cheese: Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth.
—Cynthia Graubart, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2024
Mexican chorizo is flavored with peppers and is therefore slightly spicier than Spanish chorizo.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 11 Apr. 2024
Add peppers, stir to combine and continue cooking for another minute or two.
—Gretchen McKay, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Immediately sprinkle half of the salt, pepper and smoked paprika on eggs.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
In normal times, it is often seasoned with lemon juice or chili pepper.
—Bilal Shbair, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2024
The sauce is tangy with some combination of fish sauce, lime, garlic, peppers, and sugar.
—Bon Appétit Contributor, Bon Appétit, 4 Apr. 2024
Add the chicken mixture to the pan with peppers and onions and heat until chicken is cooked through.
—Bethany Thayer, Detroit Free Press, 30 Mar. 2024
Assemble casserole: Arrange 2 even layers of potato slices in prepared dish; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
—Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
As production paused between takes, Sawai peppered her with questions.
—Jake Kring-Schreifels, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
As board members peppered her with questions, Johnson explained that Baird had different modeling tools that showed a different outlook.
—Rory Linnane, Journal Sentinel, 20 Mar. 2024
Yes, all those references do pepper Durang’s work, seasoning without overwhelming the dishes.
—Elisabeth Vincentelli, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
For good measure, one of them peppered the generator with bullets.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Falling on the softer, pinker end of the peach spectrum, Texas designer Lila Malone's pick for Natalie Steen's lacquered living room is the ideal backdrop for the host of other hues that pepper the space.
—Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024
The dive bar next door, Pancha’s of Yountville, was recently sold and awaits reopening — still as a dive bar — but Ciccio sits on a stretch of road peppered by some of Yountville’s most impressive wine and food options.
—Nora Heston Tarte, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
And the filmmaker peppers in plenty of other anachronisms to establish a sunny tone, including a retro title card with production companies, colorful costuming and plenty of Gen X soundtrack staples.
—J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 16 Mar. 2024
The franchise remains alive, but the best books came out between 1957 and 1977, when Goscinny wrote the stories, peppering them with his witty dialogue.
—Ernesto Lechner, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pepper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to pepper
Dictionary Entries Near pepper
Cite this Entry
“Pepper.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pepper. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pepper
1 of 2 noun
pep·per
ˈpep-ər
1
: either of two sharp-tasting products from the fruit of an Indian plant used especially as a seasoning
a
b
2
: a woody vine with rounded leaves and flowers arranged in a spike that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which pepper is prepared
3
: any of several products similar to pepper that are obtained from close relatives of the pepper
4
a
: any of a genus of tropical American herbs and shrubs of the nightshade family widely cultivated for their many-seeded fruits that usually have fleshy walls
especially
: one whose fruits are hot peppers or sweet peppers
b
: the fruit of a pepper that is usually green when unripe and yellow or red when ripe
pepper
adjective
pepper
2 of 2 verb
peppered; peppering
ˈpep-(ə-)riŋ
1
: to sprinkle, cover, or season with or as if with pepper
pepper the stew
a face peppered with freckles
2
: to hit with a shower of blows or objects
Medical Definition
pepper
noun
pep·per
ˈpep-ər
1
a
: a woody Indian vine of the genus Piper (P. nigrum) that is widely cultivated in the tropics for its red berries from which black pepper and white pepper are prepared
b(1)
(2)
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share