variants
or less commonly chile
or chiefly British chilli
plural chilies also chiles or chilis or chiefly British chillies
1
a
or chili pepper
: a hot pepper of any of a group of cultivars (Capsicum annuum annuum group longum) noted for their pungency
b
chiefly British chilli
: a pepper whether hot or sweet
2
a
: a thick sauce of meat and chilies
liked to cover her spaghetti with red chili
b
: chili con carne
a bowl of chili
also
: a similar dish made without beef
vegetarian chili
seafood chili
Examples of chili in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Maya diet revolved around chili peppers and the Three Sisters, corn, squash, and beans.
—
Zayda Rivera, Parents, 2 July 2024
Cincinnati Chili Instead of ladling this chili over spaghetti, try a few spoonfuls on your hot dog to transform it into a Cheese Coney, Cincinnati’s regional riff on Michigan’s Coney Island Hot Dog.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
The calamari is battered with wheat flour, rice semolina, and baking soda and then seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic, onion, and chili pepper.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 28 June 2024
The beverage had been garnished with cucumber and a red chili pepper.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for chili 
Zayda Rivera, Parents, 2 July 2024
Cincinnati Chili Instead of ladling this chili over spaghetti, try a few spoonfuls on your hot dog to transform it into a Cheese Coney, Cincinnati’s regional riff on Michigan’s Coney Island Hot Dog.
—Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
The calamari is battered with wheat flour, rice semolina, and baking soda and then seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic, onion, and chili pepper.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 28 June 2024
The beverage had been garnished with cucumber and a red chili pepper.
—Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for chili
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chili.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Chili.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chili. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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