pepperoni

noun

pep·​per·​o·​ni ˌpe-pə-ˈrō-nē 

: a highly seasoned beef and pork sausage

Examples of pepperoni in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pepperoni was savory and a little crisp around the edges, while the hot honey added a sweet kick that played nicely against the salty meat and melted cheese. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 9 Oct. 2026

Order the homemade meatballs, polenta with sautéed mushrooms and mascarpone, and a pepperoni-and-hot-honey pizza along with any of the interesting wines or local craft beers on the tidy beverage list. — Christina Pérez, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

The Candy Corn Pizza kit comes with either a pepperoni or five-cheese pizza. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

And of course, the star of the show is The Fat One, which is a monster footlong hot dog topped with roasted pork, pepperoni, chili beans, cheddar cheese sauce, red onion sauce, pop fries and chives on a soft bun. — Emily Rella, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for pepperoni

• abalone
• acrimony
• alimony
• antimony
• ceremony
• chalcedony
• cicerone
• cosmogony
• eurozone
• lithopone
• macaroni
• matrimony

Kids Definition

pepperoni

noun

pep·​per·​o·​ni ˌpep-ə-ˈrō-nē 

: a highly seasoned beef and pork sausage