pepperoni

noun

pep·​per·​o·​ni ˌpe-pə-ˈrō-nē How to pronounce pepperoni (audio)
: a highly seasoned beef and pork sausage

Examples of pepperoni in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What's inside: Owner Maria Florencia fills some selections with family recipes from her native Argentina — but other fillings have more North American flair, like pepperoni pizza and buffalo chicken. Erin Alberty, Axios, 4 Feb. 2025 Papa John's: The pizza chain's Jack-O-Lantern pizza ($9.99), with ingredients including pepperoni, and black olives, is a large unsliced pizza. Mike Snider, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024 The iconic pepperoni pizza was favored by Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia. Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025 Top the sauce with the mozzarella and pepperoni (about ¼ cup of cheese and 5 slices of pepperoni per calzone). Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 28 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pepperoni 

Word History

Etymology

Italian peperoni cayenne peppers, plural of peperone, augmentative of pepe pepper, from Latin piper — more at pepper

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pepperoni was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near pepperoni

Cite this Entry

“Pepperoni.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pepperoni. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

pepperoni

noun
pep·​per·​o·​ni ˌpep-ə-ˈrō-nē How to pronounce pepperoni (audio)
: a highly seasoned beef and pork sausage

More from Merriam-Webster on pepperoni

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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