pepper

Pluralpeppers (some meanings)

Formspeppers, peppering, peppered

1. 1
   noununcountable

   A spice made from small dried berries, used to give food a hot, sharp taste.

   Like salt, but with a hot, sharp taste.

   She added salt and pepper to the soup.

   A little black pepper makes the eggs taste better.

   Note
2. 2
   nounCanadaIrelandcountable or uncountable

   A hollow fruit with seeds inside, eaten as a vegetable. Some kinds are sweet and some are hot.

   I chopped a red pepper for the salad.

   These peppers are too hot for me to eat.

   Similarcapsicum

   Note
3. 3
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A kind of tropical plant. The most well-known one gives us the spice we put on food.

   Each pepper climbs upward, twisting around a tall wooden pole.

   Farmers grow pepper in the warm, wet parts of the tropics.

   Note
4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To put pepper on food to give it a hot, sharp taste.

   Remember to pepper the soup before you serve it.

   She peppered the steak and slid it into the pan.

   Similarseason

5. 5
   verbtransitive

   To put small bits of something here and there, again and again.

   She likes to pepper her stories with funny jokes.

   The teacher peppered the lesson with quick questions.

   Similarsprinkle, lace, intersperse, season

6. 6
   verbtransitive

   To cover something with many small things spread all over it.

   Tiny freckles pepper her nose every summer.

   Big raindrops peppered the dusty path during the storm.

   Similardot, sprinkle, speckle, stud, fleck

   Note
7. 7
   verbtransitive

   To hit something many times with small flying bits, like pellets or stones.

   Hailstones peppered the car roof during the storm.

   Crashing waves pepper the rocks with bits of gravel and sand.

   Similarpelt, riddle, spray, shower, bombard

8. 8
   nounslangcountable or uncountable

   A beating, or a heavy loss in a fight or game.

   Like a really bad loss where one side gets crushed.

   The sergeant gave the new recruits pepper all through basic training.

   Our boxer handed the favorite some real pepper in the ring.

   Similarpunishment, beating, hammering, pounding

   Note
9. 9
   verbslangtransitive

   To beat someone badly, or to defeat them by a lot.

   Our team peppered the visitors by thirty points.

   The older boys used to pepper him after school.

   Similarthrash, pummel, batter, trounce, hammer

   Note
10. 10
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A baseball warm-up game where one batter taps the ball to nearby players, who toss it right back.

    The players ran through some pepper before the game started.

    Coach made us play pepper to sharpen our reflexes.

    Note

Showing meanings only. Show all 15